It remains unacceptable that women and girls worldwide continue to confront preventable sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, as well as face high rates of unintended pregnancies. It is unacceptable that advocates, scientists, and politicians still need to convince people that investing in, innovating around, and creating a supportive policy environment for women’s health is imperative. Public health figures should speak for themselves – women need access, innovation, more options for disease and pregnancy prevention. It has been nearly 40 years since the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, 60 years since the first birth control pill became available, and 90 years since penicillin was discovered and became a successful treatment for bacterial STIs. While many critical advances have been made in the decades following these sexual and reproductive health milestones, the continued suffering of millions of women worldwide means that we, as a public health community, need to do better.
