EngenderHealth is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

active in

sexual and reproductive health Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, healthcare, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual wellbeing during all stages of their life. The term can also be further de ...

(SRH) operating in nearly 20 countries throughout Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The organization was established in 1943 and provided access to voluntary surgical contraception in the United States during its first 25 years. It has since expanded its mission to "training health care professionals and partnering with governments and communities to make high-quality family planning and sexual and reproductive health services available today" and in the future.

History

In the course of its existence, EngenderHealth has undergone changes in name and mission, reflecting internal debate, shifts in public policy, and changes in public opinion and international awareness. The organization has been described as a prime example of how the modern US family planning movement was shaped by three overlapping but distinguishable social forces, namely the eugenics movement, the movement for (female) reproductive rights, and the population control movement.

1937–1945: US eugenics movement

The organization was founded by Marian Olden in 1937 as the Sterilization League of New Jersey (SLNJ). Olden had taken an interest in eugenics in the 1930s, and led a campaign within the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

in 1935 to have New Jersey adopt eugenic sterilization legislation, as dozens of US states had already done. The failure of this campaign convinced Olden of the need for an organization dedicated specifically to eugenic sterilization. The Sterilization League was founded in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784. In 1939, the Sterilization League of New Jersey led another effort to pass a sterilization law for New Jersey. The bill proposed by the League would have empowered a "state eugenicist" who could petition for the sterilization of unfit state residents to a newly established "State Eugenic Council". Such individuals would be sterilized, even against their objection, unless they launched a successful appeal to the council. Due to its compulsory nature, the bill was not supported by organizations which were generally supportive of sterilization, such as the League of Women Voters and the New Jersey Birth Control League. The bill ultimately died without being debated on the floor of the legislature. In 1943, the Sterilization League of New Jersey expanded its scope from New Jersey to become a national organization, with the new name Birthright, Inc., chosen as an allusion to a 1930 speech given by president

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

in which he promised that "there shall be no child in America that has not the complete birthright of a sound mind in a sound body, and that has not been born under proper conditions." The rebranding of the organization was intended to soften its image, and distance itself from eugenic themes, which were becoming unpopular due to their association with the eugenic program of Nazi Germany. Rather than improvement of the genetic stock, Birthright reframed its goal as protecting the country's children, and ensuring they were born and raised under proper conditions. Birthright described itself as promoting "all reliable and scientific means for improving the biological stock of the human race." Marian Olden, the organization's founder, was a controversial figure in the organization, in part because of her abrasive, uncompromising personality, and her stubborn embrace of hardline eugenic ideas, even as these were becoming increasingly unpopular in the United States. Birthright's executive board ultimately voted to sever ties with Olden in June 1948. In 1950, Birthright was renamed the Human Betterment Association of America (HBAA). In the same year, the Manhattan studio at the

New York Academy of Medicine The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health ...

Robert Latou Dickinson Robert Latou Dickinson (1861–1950) was an American obstetrician and gynecologist, surgeon, maternal health educator, artist, sculptor and medical illustrator, and research scientist. Early life Robert Latou Dickinson was born on February 21, 1 ...

, who had been a member since 1943 and became the first chairman of the organization's medical and scientific committee in 1949, served as new headquarters.

1945–1972: US birth control movement

After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, organizations and persons promoting eugenic sterilization were under pressure to change their advocacy. After 1950, the HBAA moved toward promoting voluntary sterilization. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the organization lobbied for legislation to legalize voluntary sterilization, provided funding to sterilization clinics, and covered the cost of sterilization for poor patients. Historian Rebecca M Kluchin characterizes this period as a shift from eugenics to "neo-eugenics", with the goal of encouraging voluntary sterilization for the "unfit" as a solution to social ills such as single motherhood, poverty, overpopulation, and criminality. In 1962, the organization's name was changed to the Human Betterment Association for Voluntary Sterilization (HBAVS). Although the organization attracted a number of prominent scientists and activists, its influence soared in 1964 when Hugh Moore, the wealthy inventor of the

Dixie Cup A paper cup is a disposable cup made out of paper and often lined or coated with plastic or wax to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper. It may be made of recycled paper and is widely used around the world. History Pap ...

and noted supporter of population control, threw his influence and money behind the group. Apart from financial support, Moore served as president from 1964 to 1969. Under his presidency, in 1965, the HBAVS was renamed the Association for Voluntary Sterilization (AVS). In 1969, AVS funded the first vasectomy clinic in the United States. In the early 1970s, AVS and its allies in the family planning movement launched an intensive campaign to promote sterilization. Concurrently, AVS launched—together with the

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

and

Zero Population Growth Zero population growth, sometimes abbreviated ZPG, is a condition of demographic balance where the number of people in a specified population neither grows nor declines; that is, the number of births plus in-migrants equals the number of deaths ...

—"Operation Lawsuit": a series of successful lawsuits against various U.S. hospitals for refusing to comply with patients' requests for sterilization. These campaigns resulted in the increasingly widespread acceptance in the medical profession that sterilization was an effective birth control method, and that sterilization decision making was purely a matter between patients and their physicians. AVS also worked to establish the first informed consent and client-counselling components in health services and produced one of the first manuals on family planning counselling.

1972–2001: International family planning

In the changing atmosphere of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the importance of population control and family planning in the

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

for U.S. foreign policy was being stressed, AVS became in 1972 for the first time the recipient of funding from the

U.S. Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...

(USAID). In its subsequent international activities, AVS became instrumental in the widespread acceptance and utilization of surgical sterilization. It is in large part due to its pioneering work that this is the most prevalent method of contraception worldwide. In the early 1970s, AVS supported the work of surgeons who were developing a new approach to

tubal ligation Tubal ligation (commonly known as having one's "tubes tied") is a surgical procedure for female sterilization in which the fallopian tubes are permanently blocked, clipped or removed. This prevents the fertilization of eggs by sperm and thus th ...

(female surgical sterilization) called "minilaparotomy", or "''minilap''". Prior to minilap, surgery for female sterilization often required women to remain in the hospital for up to a week. Minilap, however, could be performed under local anaesthesia as an

outpatient procedure A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by Health professional, healthcare professionals. The patient is most often Disease, ill or Major trauma, injured and in need of therapy, treatment by a physician, nurse, opto ...

, in basic health facilities without specialized equipment. In the 1980s, AVS helped pioneer a new method of

vasectomy Vasectomy, or vasoligation, is an elective surgical procedure for male sterilization or permanent contraception. During the procedure, the male vasa deferentia are cut and tied or sealed so as to prevent sperm from entering into the urethra and ...

called "no-scalpel vasectomy" (NSV), which had fewer complications and healed faster than traditional vasectomies, making it more attractive for men seeking sterilization. In 1985, AVS introduced the technique in the United States. AVS was renamed the Association for Voluntary Surgical Contraception (AVSC) in 1984. The next year, the nonprofit published a landmark reference book, ''Voluntary Sterilization: An International Fact Book'', a comprehensive source of information about contraceptive sterilization around the world. It included reviews of service delivery, usage trends, laws and policies, research gaps, and more. This was updated in 2002 as ''Contraceptive Sterilization: Global Issues and Trends''. AVSC launched an international postabortion care (PAC) program in 1993 to reduce injury and death among women who undergo unsafe abortions. Since then, the program has been introduced in more than 30 countries. (The organization has never provided abortions.) The organization changed its name to Access to Voluntary and Safe Contraception International (AVSC International) in 1994. In 1995, AVSC published ''COPE: A Process and Tools for Quality Improvement in Family Planning and Other Reproductive Health Services'', the first of its COPE methodology books. Developed through work in Kenya and Nigeria in the late 1980s, the name means "Client-Oriented, Provider-Efficient", and is a process "

o help O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), plu ...

health care staff continuously improve the quality and efficiency of services provided at their facility and make services more responsive to clients' needs." Since then, the COPE methodology has been expanded to many other health services and adapted by many other organizations. In 1996, AVSC also launched its Men As Partners (MAP) program, working with men to promote gender equality, reduce

gender-based violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence includes any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification. Types of gender-related violence include: * Violence against women (sometimes referred to simply a ...

, and recognize their important roles in the health of their families and communities. Since then, MAP has worked in more than 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Also in that year, AVSC introduced "facilitative supervision", an approach to quality improvement in health care service delivery. This methodology promotes "mentoring, joint problem solving, and two-way communication", and was formally described in the 2001 ''Facilitative Supervision Handbook''. With support from the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

, AVSC partnered with four other international agencies in 1999 to launch th
Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention
(ACCP). Other partners include the

International Agency for Research on Cancer The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC; french: Centre International de Recherche sur le Cancer, CIRC) is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organization of the United Nations. Its role is to conduct and ...

(IARC), Jhpiego (an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University), the

Pan American Health Organization The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency working to improve the health and living standards of the people of the Americas. It is part of the United Nations system, serving as the Regional Office for ...

(PAHO), and the

Program for Appropriate Technology in Health PATH (formerly known as the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) is an international, nonprofit global health organization based in Seattle, with 1,600 employees in more than 70 countries around the world. Its president and CEO is Niko ...

(PATH).

2001–2008: EngenderHealth and women's health

To reflect the fact that its mission had expanded beyond sterilization, in 2001 the organization changed its name to EngenderHealth, added the

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

"Improving Women's Health Worldwide", and introduced a new logo. It operates under this name today, although its logo and tagline changed in 2008. In 2002, EngenderHealth was awarded the United Nations Population Award for institutions for its contribution to family planning and reproductive health care in resource-poor countries. In recognition of this honor, Mayor

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...

declared July 1, 2002, as "EngenderHealth Day" in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and presented a certificate to the organization. At the XVI International AIDS Conference in 2006, EngenderHealth was one of five finalists nominated for the Red Ribbon Award: Celebrating Community Leadership and Action on AIDS for its MAP work in South Africa to engage men in

HIV and AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

prevention and reducing

. With funding from the

(USAID), EngenderHealth became the managing partner of the large-scale ACQUIRE Project (which stood for "Access, Quality, and Use in Reproductive Health") in 2003. This global project worked in more than 20 countries around the world to improve family planning, maternal health, and postabortion care services. Other partners in the project included the

Adventist Development and Relief Agency International The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA or ADRA International) is a humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the purpose of providing individual and community development and disaster relief. ...

(ADRA), CARE, IntraHealth International, Inc. Meridian Group International, Inc., the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa, and SATELLIFE. As one of USAID's flagship projects in the field of family planning, the ACQUIRE Project developed new approaches to international family planning work that have since been adopted and extended by other USAID-funded projects. Also in 2003, and also with funding from USAID, EngenderHealth became the managing partner of the AWARE-RH Project ("Action for West Africa Region -- Reproductive Health"), which worked with governments, donors, and private institutions to improve access to health services, lower the costs of health care, and strengthen existing medical institutions in 21 West African countries. Other partners in the project included Abt Associates, the

Academy for Educational Development AED, formerly the Academy for Educational Development (1961 to 2011), was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that focused on education, health and economic development for the "least advantaged in the United States and developing countries throu ...

(AED), and Management Sciences for Health. EngenderHealth's Men As Partners program continued to expand. EngenderHealth and Instituto Promundo founded the ''MenEngage Global Alliance'', an international alliance to promote "research, advocacy, and interventions that encourage men and boys to increase gender equality." Today, MenEngage works around the world to raise awareness and support initiatives that reduce gender-based violence, with additional partnership from the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO),

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

(UNDP),

United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...

(UNFPA),

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

International Center for Research on Women The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, with regional offices in New Delhi, India, Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, Uganda. ICRW has project offices in Mumba ...

(ICRW), the

White Ribbon Campaign The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) is a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence against women and girls. It was formed by a group of pro-feminist men in London, Ontario in November 1991 as a response to the École Polytechni ...

, Sonke Gender Justice, and several other organizations. In 2006, in partnership with the

Population Council The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The Council conducts research in biomedicine, social science, and public health and helps build research capacities in developing countries. One-third of its res ...

, Ipas,

Marie Stopes International MSI Reproductive Choices, named Marie Stopes International until November 2020, is an international non-governmental organisation providing contraception and safe abortion services in 37 countries around the world. MSI Reproductive Choices as an ...

, Willows Foundation, and the Ministry of Health in Ghana to launch the ''R3M Program: Reducing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality''. The project supported family planning and long-term and permanent contraceptives in Ghana.

2008–present: EngenderHealth "For a Better Life"

In 2008, on its 65th anniversary, EngenderHealth launched a new logo, visual identity, and tagline: "for a better life." It operates under this brand today. * The nonprofit became the managing partner of '' The Fistula Care Project'', funded by

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

. At the time, it was the largest international project ever to focus on the treatment and prevention of

obstetric fistula Obstetric fistula is a medical condition in which a hole develops in the birth canal as a result of childbirth. This can be between the vagina and rectum, ureter, or bladder. It can result in incontinence of urine or feces. Complications may i ...

. * The '' Maternal Health Task Force'' (MHTF) launched with funding from the

. In 2011, management of the MHTF moved on to the

Harvard School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's first ...

br>Women and Health Initiative
to continue its next phase. * The ''RESPOND Project'' launched with funding from USAID. Known as "Responding to the Need for Family Planning through Expanded Contraceptive Choices and Program Services" and works to "expand family planning services and improve reproductive health in developing countries". * In partnership with Family Health International and the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

, EngenderHealth launched the ''Male Circumcision Consortium''. The Consortium works to "improve and expand access to voluntary medical circumcision services in Kenya as part of an overall strategy to reduce HIV infections in men." In 2009, EngenderHealth announced two new projects with USAID funding. The first was the ''CHAMPION Project'', a five-year project in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

, working with men to improve "serious reproductive health challenges" in Tanzania, including

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

and AIDS. The CHAMPION Project also received funding from the

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief The United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a United States governmental initiative to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and help save the lives of those suffering from the disease. Launched by U.S. President Geor ...

(PEPFAR). A second USAID-funded project worked to expand HIV prevention services for the most at-risk population in urban areas of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. EngenderHealth was one of several nonprofits mentioned in '' Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide'', a best-selling book written by

Nicholas Kristof Nicholas Donabet Kristof (born April 27, 1959) is an American journalist and political commentator. A winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, he is a regular CNN contributor and an op-ed columnist for ''The New York Times''. Born in Chicago, Kristof wa ...

and

Sheryl WuDunn Sheryl WuDunn (born November 16, 1959) is an American business executive, writer, lecturer, and Pulitzer Prize winner. A senior banker focusing on growth companies in technology, new media and the emerging markets, WuDunn also works with double ...

and published in September 2009. In support of the book, EngenderHealth published an online Reader's Companion with additional stories and resources, and partnered with

Equality Now Equality Now is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls. Through a combination of regional partnerships, community mobilization and legal advocacy the or ...

and

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...

to co-host Accelerating Equality for Women and Girls Around the World, a discussion panel featuring the authors.

Areas of focus

* Family planning, including:

contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

;

informed consent Informed consent is a principle in medical ethics and medical law, that a patient must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about their medical care. Pertinent information may include risks and benefits of treatme ...

;

rights Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical the ...

;

long-acting reversible contraception Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) are methods of birth control that provide effective contraception for an extended period without requiring user action. They include injections, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and subdermal contraceptiv ...

;

and sterilization; prevention of

teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20. This includes those who are legally considered adults in their country. The WHO defines adolescence as the period bet ...

. * Maternal health, including: treatment and prevention of

; treatment and prevention of

pre-eclampsia Pre-eclampsia is a disorder of pregnancy characterized by the onset of high blood pressure and often a significant amount of protein in the urine. When it arises, the condition begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy. In severe cases of the disease ...

eclampsia Eclampsia is the onset of seizures (convulsions) in a woman with pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is one of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy that presents with three main features: new onset of high blood pressure, large amounts of protein in ...

; treatment and prevention of

postpartum hemorrhage Postpartum bleeding or postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is often defined as the loss of more than 500 ml or 1,000 ml of blood following childbirth. Some have added the requirement that there also be signs or symptoms of low blood volume for ...

; post

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

care; prevention of

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...

. * HIV and AIDS, including: prevention and treatment; the prevention of

mother-to-child transmission A vertically transmitted infection is an infection caused by pathogenic bacteria or viruses that use mother-to-child transmission, that is, transmission directly from the mother to an embryo, fetus, or baby during pregnancy or childbirth. It can ...

(PMTCT) of HIV; male

circumcision Circumcision is a surgical procedure, procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin ...

as a way to reduce HIV transmission; the reduction of stigma and

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

against HIV-positive individuals; integration of counseling/treatment services with other health services (particularly family planning services) . * Gender equality, including: reducing

; getting men more involved in

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marita ...

decisions. * Quality improvement, including: training medical staff; improving efficiency within medical clinics; working with local and national leaders to improve availability of medical supplies.

Affiliated persons

Leadership: * 1937 – 1948 Marian Olden (secretary) * 1945 – 1961 H. Curtis Wood Jr (president) * 1961 – 1963 Ruth Proskauer Smith (executive director) * 1963 – 1972 John Rague (executive director) * 1972 – 1973 Charles T. Faneuff (executive director) * 1973 – 1981 Ira Lubell (executive director) * 1981 – 1990 Hugo Hoogenboom (executive director) * 1990 – 2005 Amy Pollack (president) * 2005 – 2010 Ana Langer (president) * 2010 – 2016 Pamela W. Barnes (president) * 2016 – 2017 Ulla E. Muller (president) * 2017 – 2018 Rosemary Ellis (Interim President) * 2018 – present Traci L. Baird (president/CEO) Notable members: *

Margaret Sanger Margaret Higgins Sanger (born Margaret Louise Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966), also known as Margaret Sanger Slee, was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. Sanger popularized the term "birth control ...

, birth control activist. *

, gynecologist and sex researcher. *

Alan Frank Guttmacher Alan Frank Guttmacher (19 May 1898 – 18 March 1974) was an American obstetrician/gynecologist. He served as president of Planned Parenthood and vice-president of the American Eugenics Society. Guttmacher founded the American Association of Planne ...

, American physician. *

Joseph Fletcher Joseph Francis Fletcher (April 10, 1905 in Newark, New Jersey - October 28, 1991 in Charlottesville, Virginia) was an American professor who founded the theory of situational ethics in the 1960s, and was a pioneer in the field of bioethics. Flet ...

, pioneer in the field of bioethics. * John Rock, one of the inventors of the

birth control pill The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. The pill contains two important hormones: progest ...

. *

Paul R. Ehrlich Paul Ralph Ehrlich (born May 29, 1932) is an American biologist known for his warnings about the consequences of population growth and limited resources. He is the Bing Professor Emeritus of Population Studies of the Department of Biology of St ...

, entomologist and author on the subject of

human overpopulation Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

. *

Brock Chisholm George Brock Chisholm (18 May 1896 – 4 February 1971) was a Canadian psychiatrist, medical practitioner, World War I veteran, and the first director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). He was the 13th Canadian Surgeon General and t ...

, first director-general of the

and honorary president to the AVS in the early 1960s. *

Paul Blanshard Paul Beecher Blanshard (August 27, 1892 – January 27, 1980) was an American author, assistant editor of ''The Nation'' magazine, lawyer, socialist, secular humanist, and from 1949 an outspoken critic of Catholicism. Early life and educ ...

, American journalist. *

Harry Emerson Fosdick Harry Emerson Fosdick (May 24, 1878 – October 5, 1969) was an American pastor. Fosdick became a central figure in the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy within American Protestantism in the 1920s and 1930s and was one of the most prominen ...

, American clergyman. * Hugh Moore, American entrepreneur. *

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

, author and professor of biochemistry. * Mary Dent Crisp, co-chairwoman of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

. * Millicent H. Fenwick,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

U.S. Representative from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture The United States Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture is the head of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome and holds the rank of Ambassador to the three United Nations agencies for food and agric ...

. *

Garrett Hardin Garrett James Hardin (April 21, 1915 – September 14, 2003) was an American ecologist. He focused his career on the issue of human overpopulation, and is best known for his exposition of the tragedy of the commons in a 1968 paper of the same t ...

, ecologist and microbiologist. *

Abigail Van Buren Dear Abby is an American advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name "Abigail Van Buren" and carried on today by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who now owns the legal rights to the pen name. History According to Paulin ...

, author of the "Dear Abby" syndicated personal advice column. *

Edward P. Morgan Edward Paddock Morgan (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 1993) was an American journalist and writer who reported for newspapers, radio, and television media services including ABC, CBS networks, and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). A native o ...

, journalist and anchor of the

ABC Evening News ''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening television news program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting ...

. * Allan G. Rosenfield, MD, Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. *

Nafis Sadik Nafis Sadik (18 August 1929 – 14 August 2022) was a Pakistani physician, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General with additional responsibilities as Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia, and former executive director of the United Nations Pop ...

, MD, Special Advisor to the

UN Secretary General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of the Un ...

and former head of the

UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...

. * Janice Hansen Zakin, MD, associate at

NASA Ames Research Center The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laborat ...

. * Brenda Jackson Drake, JD, director of the Public Health Trust. * Rosemary Ellis, editor-in-chief of ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

'' magazine. * George F. Brown, former Vice President, International Programs, at the

. *

Julio Frenk Julio José Frenk Mora (born December 20, 1953) is president of the University of Miami and has served in this role since 2015. He is the University of Miami's first Hispanic and native Spanish-speaking president. At the University of Miami, he ...

, Dean of the

. * Mark Chiaviello, director at

Standard Bank Standard Bank Group Limited is a major South African bank and financial services group. It is Africa's biggest lender by assets. The company's corporate headquarters, Standard Bank Centre, is situated in Simmonds Street, Johannesburg. History ...

. * Jeffrey O'Malley, director at the

(UNDP).

References

External links

EngenderHealth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engenderhealth Birth control providers HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States Health charities in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Population organizations