MSI Reproductive Choices, named Marie Stopes International until November 2020, is an international

non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

providing

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 ...

and safe

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 ...

services in 37 countries around the world. MSI Reproductive Choices as an organisation lobbies in favour of access to abortion, and provides a variety of sexual and reproductive healthcare services including advice,

vasectomies 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 ...

, and abortions in the UK and other countries where it is legal to do so. It is based in London and is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

under English law. In 2015 there were an estimated 21 million women around the world using a method of contraception provided by Marie Stopes International. The organisation claims that in 2015 the services that it provided averted 6.3 million unintended pregnancies, 4 million unsafe abortions and 18,100 maternal deaths. The organisation's core services include

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 ...

; safe abortion and

post-abortion care Post-abortion care (PAC) is treatment and counseling for post-abortion women. It includes curative care, such as treating abortion complications, as well as preventative care, such as providing birth control to prevent future unwanted pregnancies. P ...

; maternal and child health care, including safe delivery and obstetrics; diagnosis and treatment of

sexually transmitted infection Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are Transmission (medicine), spread by Human sexual activity, sexual activity, especi ...

s; and

HIV/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 ...

prevention.

History

In 1975, the

Marie Stopes Marie Charlotte Carmichael Stopes (15 October 1880 – 2 October 1958) was a British author, palaeobotanist and campaigner for eugenics and women's rights. She made significant contributions to plant palaeontology and coal classification, ...

Foundation was

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...

and entered

voluntary administration As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in the United States. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry o ...

. It was taken over by

Tim Black Doctor Timothy Reuben Ladbroke "Tim" Black CBE (7 January 1937 – 11 December 2014) was a family planning pioneer and founder of Marie Stopes International in London. He served as chief executive of Marie Stopes International for 30 years, from ...

who re-founded the organisation as a

social business Social business was defined by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and is described in his books. In these books, Yunus defined a social business as a business: * Created and designed to address a social problem * A non-loss, no ...

named Marie Stopes International in 1976. In 1992, it set up Options Consultancy Services, a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered in the United Kingdom, stating that it is a "provider of technical expertise, short-term consultancy and long-term management services in the health and the social sectors". In 2000, Marie Stopes opened in Australia, trading under Marie Stopes Australia. It is the only national, independently accredited safe abortion, vasectomy and contraception provider in the country. In 2008, Marie Stopes International opened in Mexico City state, where legislative change enabled improved access to abortion services.

Name change

In November 2020 Marie Stopes International changed its name to "MSI Reproductive Choices" in reaction to Stopes's views on

eugenics Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

, in "stark contrast" to its values. The name of the organisation had been under discussion for many years.

Activities

Contraception

MSI estimated that the services they provided in 2019 prevented approximately 13 million

unintended pregnancies Unintended pregnancies are pregnancies that are mistimed, unplanned or unwanted at the time of conception. Sexual activity without the use of effective contraception through choice or coercion is the predominant cause of unintended pregnancy. W ...

, 34,6000 maternal deaths and 6.5 million unsafe abortions. In 2019 there were 32 million women using a method of contraception provided by MSI.201
Marie Stopes International Global Impact Report

Social marketing

MSI runs contraceptive social marketing programmes in 17 countries, such as the Kushi contraceptive pill and injectable in India, Raha condom and Smart Lady emergency contraceptive pill in Kenya, Jodi Condom in Nepal, Lifeguard condom in Uganda and Snake condom in Australia aimed at the Aboriginal population market.

Consultancy

MSI works with a variety of organizations through its subsidiary, Options Consultancy Services. Their partners include Action for Global Health,

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 ...

British Expertise British Expertise is a trade organization based in London that promotes British companies internationally. History The British Overseas Engineering Services Bureau was formed in 1966. It was initially financed by the Government's Board of Tra ...

The Children's Investment Fund Foundation The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (UK) (CIFF) is an independent philanthropic organisation with offices in Addis Ababa, Beijing, London, Nairobi and New Delhi. It is a registered charity in England and Wales and in 2021 disbursed $468 mi ...

, German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ),

Global Financing Facility The Global Financing Facility was launched at the Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa in July 2015 by the United Nations and the World Bank as part of an effort to achieve goal three of the Sustainable Development Goals, Good health ...

KFW Bankengruppe The KfW, which together with its subsidiaries DEG, KfW IPEX-Bank and FuB forms the KfW Bankengruppe ("banking group"), is a German state-owned investment and development bank, based in Frankfurt. As of 2014, it is the world's largest national ...

Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) is a global partnership of public, private and non-governmental organizations. Its aim is to ensure that all people in low- and middle-income countries can choose, obtain and use the supplies and a ...

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (or simply the Global Fund) is an international financing and partnership organization that aims to "attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, t ...

, UK Department for International Development,

United States 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 bi ...

(USAID), the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

, and 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).