The Amazing Power of Contraceptives
Hi, this is Melinda Gates.
It's amazing what a contraceptive can do.
When a woman has the power to decide when to get pregnant,
she has power over her future.
She can protect her own health,
because she can wait to have a child until her body is ready for it.
And she can protect her child's health,
because she can space her pregnancy so that her body recovers each time.
And when a woman can plan her family,
she can plan to invest more in each child,
Children who are well-nourished and healthy do much better in school.
And children who do better in school go on to earn a better living.
As a result, they have more to invest in their children and their community.
It seems like a simple thing.
A pill, or a shot, or an implant, or a condom.
But it triggers a virtuous cycle that makes everybody's life better.
That's because empowered women transform societies.