U.N. Says Access to Birth Control is Universal Human Right

The United Nations says access to contraception is a universal human right that could dramatically improve the lives of women and children in poor countries, CNSNews.com reports. It is the first time the U.N. Population Fund's annual report has explicitly described birth control as a human right, effectively declaring that legal, cultural and financial barriers to accessing contraception and other family planning measures are an infringement of women's rights. The U.N. also stated that increasing funding for family planning by a further $4.1 billion could save $11.3 billion annually for health bills for mothers and newborns in poor countries.