The Faith Subcommittee and other ICFP partners reached out to media outlets across the globe to take this opportunity to debunk myths that faith communities and leaders do not support family planning. As a result of this outreach, an opinion piece by Reverend Canon Grace Kaiso, General Secretary of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa and Chair of the Faith to Action Network and Dr. Ahmed RA Ragab, Professor of Reproductive Health at Al-Azhar University and Vice Chairman of the Faith to Action Network about support among religious leaders appeared in the Guardian.

The piece, Why Religious Leaders Have a Moral Duty to Promote Family Planning, featured the work of the Christian Health Association of Kenya to involve religious leaders in scaling up family planning use in two communities. A version of the original opinion piece including the work of the Zimbabwe Association of Church-related Hospitals also appeared in publications in Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Uganda and Ghana.

An article in All Africa featured comments by Dr. Tonny Tumwesigye of the Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau about faith and family planning and why healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies is consistent with Christian values. Articles featuring interviews with CCIH’s Mona Bormet (Leap for Faith), Dr. Henry Mosley of Johns Hopkins University (Having Faith in Family Planning), and Grand Mufti Sheikh Mangala Luaba of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Faith and Family Planning: A Q&A with Sheikh Mangala Luaba) appeared in Global Health Now. Sheikh Luaba explained that family planning is supported by the Qu’ran and means giving good health to the mother and good growth, development and health to the child, while also giving time for the father to provide financially for the family.

CCIH Program Director Mona Bormet was quoted along with CCIH members Susan Otchere of World Vision and Katherine Marshall of World Faiths Development Dialogue in this Los Angeles Times article by Noam Levey on support among faith leaders for family planning. The article also includes the work of the Christian Health Association of Kenya.

Summary of Media Coverage

Opinion Piece in the Guardian

• Why Religious Leaders Have a Moral Duty to Promote Family Planning appeared in the Guardian
• A version of the Guardian piece appeared in publications in Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Uganda and Ghana

Additional Coverage

• Africa: God and Condoms: Perspective on Family Planning and Faith in All Africa
• Kenyan Clergy Push for Family Planning at Global Health Forum in Indonesia in the Daily Nation (Kenya) also cross posted in All Africa
• Clerics-Family Link Stressed in The Citizen (Tanzania)
• Family planning: women and young people need access and choice, by Key Correspondents: Reporting for Action on HIV. Cross-posed in All Africa
• On Family Planning, Financing and Fine Lines: Recapping ICFP 2016 in Global Health Policy Blog (Center for Global Development)
• Jokowi says family planning key to ensuring global peace in Jakarta Globe (brief mention of Faith Pre-Conference)
• Religious leaders’ successful programs helps family planning, in Republika, (in Indonesian)
• Finding Common Ground in the Star (Malaysia)
• Mutual Respect Needed in the Star (Malaysia)
• Pope Francis Isn’t the Only Religious Leader to Give a Surprising Boost to Contraception in the Los Angeles Times