I'm off to London this week--I'll be spending at least some of the holiday in meetings! Hope you all have a very happy and relaxing Thanksgiving!

Can you believe 2025 is almost over? We're already writing our "Looking back on the year" pieces. First one here, and I do think it will inspire you: Seven achievements donor support helped make possible! www.msiunitedstates.org/7-achievemen...

Alarming read about how climate change is directly hurting women's health, and their children's. This is why we're so focused on reaching women impacted by climate change. www.vox.com/climate/4578...

Our marketing team asked me to remind everyone that it's two weeks until Giving Tuesday :) Especially grateful to the donor who offered to match gifts this year! Excited to see how it all goes.

Proud that MSI is contributing to this effort 💛

Grateful for this update from @reproductivefreedomforall.org We've been sounding the alarm about how Project 2025 could threaten reproductive healthcare since before the election--so alarming to see how quickly it's being carried out. reproductivefreedomforall.org/news/memo-pr...

Need a bit of inspiration today? I've been reading MSI's new Abortion Anthology - it shares stories from clients, providers, and activists, and it's really lifted my spirits this week msichoices.shorthandstories.com/abortion-ant...

Heartbreaking and essential look at the suffering caused by the end of USAID

Very excited to see this campaign from ADAPT2WIN reminding us that every sector can create change. MSI has been working in communities on the frontlines of climate change for years, because when women have choice, they're more resilient and able to adapt. www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

New Guttmacher data from Adding It Up 2024 shows what it would take to meet SRH needs across 128 LMICs: 928M women want to avoid pregnancy, 214M aren’t using modern contraception, and every $1 invested saves $2.48 in health care costs. Learn more: https://gu.tt/4qVHXfc

It's the last day at the International Conference in Family Planning in Bogota, and from the updates I've heard, it's been a week of wonderful discussions! If you were there this week, what were your highlights? #ICPF2025

Several MSI colleagues are presenting at the International Conference on Family Planning today! Some really interesting talks - sorry to be missing the discussion of serving climate change-affected communities in Senegal, or about growing vasectomy demand in Bolivia!

Are you listening to @ivehaditpodcast.bsky.social? You should be! The news is grim these days but at least when it's Jennifer and Pumps telling it I can get some laughs.

Welcome news from Malawi, where the high court says girls who've been sexually assaulted have a legal right to safe abortion: gazettengr.com/malawi-high-...

When people make a gift to MSI, we invite them to tell us why they gave, and this answer from last week really made my day: "Because I felt nice." May we all feel nice this week!

Think how annoying it is when the thing you want at the store is out of stock. Now imagine you've walked for hours and the thing is a contraceptive implant.

We need to be shouting this from the rooftops: Mifepristone is safe and effective. It's been used for decades all around the world, helping women control their bodies and futures.

From 2015, the first and last year I tried to get a costume on Lola (who made short work of the witch)

Beth Schlachter, our senior director for US external relations, spoke to Reuters about the planned destruction of $9.7m of contraceptives. "The consequences will be far-reaching, higher rates of unsafe abortion, more girls dropping out of school and more women dying." 🔗 https://ow.ly/vJRK50XgKzi

This is news I was excited to see: Our team in Ghana produced a web series about the dangers of unsafe abortion, called "Atoua," and it's back with a second season! Trailer here, don't miss it: youtu.be/Nu29ac91sog

Earlier this month, colleagues from around the world got together to share how the climate crisis is impacting their programs and what they're doing to respond. Really thought-provoking conversation, and we shared some highlights on our blog: www.msiunitedstates.org/climate-chan...

Seeing conversation about this piece today. I know our sector is still thinking through the best ways to use AI, but it can never substitute for sharing real people's stories--and it certainly shouldn't be used to reinforce stereotypes! www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Proud to see MSI recognized as a "very high performer" in the 2025 Global Health 50/50 Report, which measures organizations' commitment to gender equality. At a time when public commitments to equality are actually declining in the global health sector, we're still focused on equality and inclusion!

Decisions about contraception and abortion care are really some of life's most personal and sensitive. Grateful for counselors like Jasmina in Jaipur who talk women through their options and help them make the best choice for them. www.msiunitedstates.org/three-counse...

Did you catch this interview with my colleague Sam Tiwari in Devex last week? It's about how MSI is dealing with reduced foreign assistance funding and I really recommend you give it a read, Sam is insightful as always: www.devex.com/news/why-msi...

A couple of weeks ago, our team in Mongolia hosted a training for more than 100 professionals about inserting and removing long-term contraceptive methods like IUDs and implants. So exciting to think about how many women all those midwives and doctors may have helped since then!

You may have heard the Trump administration say they were destroying a stockpile of USAID contraceptives because they're "abortifacients". Let's just be clear: No, they aren't! www.msichoices.org/latest/contr...

Fascinating new report from Bank of America about giving by affluent households. Particularly interested in the "expert donors" they identify - donors who monitor their gift's impact. www.privatebank.bankofamerica.com/articles/ban...

There's a civil war going on in Myanmar, but women still get pregnant and care can be hard to find. The team in Myanmar shared this story about Ma Yu, a pregnant mom who turned to MSI for help. They delivered her baby and provided contraception. myanmar.unfpa.org/en/news/ma-y...

Do we still do #FollowFriday? Because if we are, you should really give @nickkristof.bsky.social a follow. He's been sharing columns the past few weeks from his trip to Uganda, chronicling the effects of cuts to foreign aid. Absolute must-reads!

Hingis, a young woman in Ghana, told us: “Now, women can be out there making money, pushing our families to the top and making our country proud. Access to contraception has helped to close this gap between men and women.” Couldn't have said it better!

Last week, in honor of Choice Week, we invited team members in London to share messages of support with our frontline colleagues around the world. Particularly loved this one: "Your dedication is so inspiring to people all across the world. Thank you for building a better world for us to live in."

Enjoyed Bill Gates' recent op-ed about why he's still optimistic about global health, despite funding cuts. He's right: Innovation is still delivering breakthroughs that save lives. At MSI, we're always finding new ways to reach more women with life-changing healthcare. time.com/7317395/bill...

Really fascinating look at the funding landscape for women's health issues, including contraceptive research.

All people should have the resources they need to plan their futures, including access to the birth control method of their choice, free from barriers or stigma. #FreeThePill #WorldContraceptionDay

Such a wonderful event last night. Huge thank you to everyone involved in planning it - it was a real team effort!

Decades of data, including from MSI's own research, shows that mifepristone is safe and effective and can be safely prescribed via telemedicine. www.msiunitedstates.org/mifepristone...

Thanks @jessicavalenti.bsky.social for shouting out MSI's "pillboard" in New York! If you're not already reading Abortion, Every Day, you should be - essential reading on abortion rights. jessica.substack.com/p/ezra-klein...

This week is #ChoiceWeek! 🌍 World Contraception Day - 26th Sept 💙 International Safe Abortion Day - 28th Sept Join us in celebrating the life-changing power of reproductive choice. When we #ChooseChoice, the whole world wins. Learn more: www.msichoices.org/get-involved...

See you here tomorrow?

At the Accountability Breakfast this morning, where we just heard from IPAS. 507 women die of pregnancy related causes every day in humanitarian settings. That's why it's so important to make sure reproductive healthcare is available!

I know World Contraception Day (Sept. 26) and International Safe Abortion Day (Sept. 28) aren't marked on most people's calendars, but trust me, they're a big deal.

At a time when some countries are pulling back foreign aid for reproductive healthcare, we wanted to catch leaders' eyes and remind them what's at stake. Where better to do it than while they're standing in the security line at the UN General Assembly?

Did you know that a single MSI outreach team in West Africa can serve 70 women and girls in one day? For many of them, it's their first time using contraception, so a lot of work goes into educating communities before we ever start delivering services. www.msiunitedstates.org/three-ways-t...

Got an update today from our teams in Afghanistan and Pakistan, who are both deploying outreach units to respond to natural disasters: An earthquake in Afghanistan, and flooding in Pakistan. Proud of the colleagues delivering choice and basic healthcare when it's most urgently needed.

“I wept and screamed.” Man whose wife and newborn died after they tried to go to a clinic shuttered due to USAID cuts.

There's so much that's upsetting about the plan to destroy $9.7 million of USAID contraceptives, but saying it's because they "cause abortions" is particularly troubling.

Relieved these supplies are still being stored. They need to go to women and girls.

In Uganda, university students are heading back to school--and MSI teams were there with information about the reproductive healthcare we offer. Students received free health checks and discounted contraception, and over 30,000 young people stopped by!

Check out this blog post for some photos that will put a smile on your face. Our team recently visited a high school in Mali for an awareness-raising session teaching young people how to prevent pregnancy. www.msiunitedstates.org/a-day-at-kal...