Indian Health Minister Nadda Highlights Planned Parenthood Role in Maternal, Child Health on World Population Day

On World Population Day, Union Health Minister JP Nadda emphasized the importance of planned parenthood for improving maternal and child health outcomes in India. The 2025 theme, 'Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy for the Health and Well-being of Mother and Child,' highlights the need for informed decisions regarding physical and emotional preparedness for parenthood. Nadda highlighted government efforts to provide essential family planning services through public health facilities, including Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, empowering families and promoting a healthier India. Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India, stressed shifting the focus from population numbers to women's empowerment and comprehensive development through healthcare, education, and job creation. Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund's report revealed that a significant percentage of Indian adults experience unintended pregnancies, underscoring systemic reproductive health challenges. In contrast, Planned Parenthood in the U.S. filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration's funding cuts, warning that defunding Medicaid abortion providers would lead to clinic closures and a public health crisis impacting over a million Medicaid patients relying on their services for birth control and cancer screenings.