A bipartisan pair of senators is pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to release family planning funding and supplies to aid women affected by an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) sent a letter to the State Department on Thursday requesting that restrictions on reproductive health assistance be lifted during the public health emergency.
The DRC has faced recurring Ebola outbreaks for years, with the current strain placing significant strain on the country's already limited medical infrastructure. Health officials have reported that hospitals and clinics in affected regions have struggled to maintain basic services, including maternal health care and family planning resources. Aid organizations working in the region have warned that women face particular gaps in access to essential reproductive health supplies.
What the Left Is Saying
Senator Jeanne Shaheen framed the request as a matter of public health necessity. "When Ebola overwhelms a health system, it's women who bear the consequences first," Shaheen wrote in the letter. She pointed to existing U.S. global health programs that include family planning components, arguing that suspending these services during outbreaks creates cascading health risks including increased maternal mortality and unplanned pregnancies in crisis zones. The New Hampshire Democrat emphasized that comprehensive aid responses must address all aspects of reproductive health, not just epidemic containment.
Shaheen also noted that international humanitarian standards call for maintaining essential health services during crises. She argued that failing to provide family planning resources undermines broader U.S. efforts to stabilize affected communities and can increase long-term public health burdens.
What the Right Is Saying
Senator Lisa Murkowski joined the letter as a Republican co-sponsor, emphasizing the practical humanitarian dimensions of the request. "This isn't about ideology—it's about making sure women don't die from preventable causes while we focus on Ebola," Murkowski said in a statement accompanying the letter. The Alaska Republican highlighted that family planning supplies such as contraceptives and basic reproductive health materials are standard components of U.S. international aid packages during humanitarian crises.
Murkowski pointed to previous bipartisan support for global maternal health initiatives, arguing that providing these resources aligns with long-standing American commitments to reducing maternal mortality in developing nations. She stressed that the request focuses on basic medical supplies rather than broader policy debates about reproductive rights abroad.
What the Numbers Show
The DRC has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks over the past decade, with mortality rates varying by strain and response effectiveness. The current outbreak has strained health facilities in affected provinces, where access to comprehensive reproductive health services was already limited before the crisis began. U.S. global health funding for family planning assistance in sub-Saharan Africa totals several hundred million dollars annually across multiple agencies and programs.
International humanitarian guidelines from organizations including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recommend maintaining reproductive health services during epidemic responses, citing evidence that interruptions increase maternal deaths and complications. Data from previous outbreak responses indicates that women of reproductive age comprise a significant portion of populations in affected regions who require continued access to basic health services.
The Bottom Line
The letter represents an unusual bipartisan appeal to the Trump administration's State Department on a reproductive health issue, arriving at a time when global aid policies remain under review. Shaheen and Murkowski are asking Rubio to exercise existing waiver authority that could allow family planning funds to flow despite broader policy restrictions on certain international health assistance.
The request faces an uncertain path forward. The administration has taken varied positions on international family planning funding since taking office, with some programs maintained while others faced suspension. What happens next will likely depend on whether the State Department determines that Ebola response conditions meet thresholds for releasing the requested supplies. Advocates watching the issue say they expect a response within the coming weeks.