Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) have called on the State Department to release hundreds of millions of dollars in aid aimed at supporting women and infants impacted by an Ebola outbreak in East Africa. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the senators requested the allocation of $608 million in congressionally-approved international family-planning funds and the distribution of $1.7 million in family-planning supplies that are currently stored in Geel, Belgium. The supplies include condoms, hormonal contraception, post-rape care medicine, and hemorrhage medicines. The senators noted that if these supplies are not utilized, they may be destroyed.
The letter emphasized the severe risks associated with Ebola during pregnancy, including a nearly 100% fetal loss rate and high maternal mortality due to severe hemorrhaging. The lawmakers argued that providing women with access to family planning options and health clinics could prevent further deaths among women and fetuses exposed to the virus. They also urged the State Department to issue a humanitarian exception to support the United Nations Population Fund's health clinics in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
As of July 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 3,532 Ebola cases and 1,556 deaths in the DRC, reflecting a mortality rate of approximately 44%. In Uganda, there have been 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. The senators highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating that the rapid spread of the virus necessitates immediate action to provide interventions that could save lives. They noted that the cost of the U.S. response is nearing $1 billion and argued that investing in voluntary family planning is both fiscally rational and morally urgent.