Equity in Providing Quality Family Planning Services in the United States: Recommendations of the U.S. Office of Population Affairs (Revised 2024).

Abstract

Updating the Quality Family Planning recommendations is an essential step toward offering all people evidenced-informed, person-centered, equitable, and inclusive sexual and reproductive health care. What constitutes quality sexual and reproductive health care constantly evolves as scientific research generates new evidence. In addition, the context in which people seek and receive sexual and reproductive health care has changed significantly in recent years. Today's sexual and reproductive health context is also complex and evolving against the backdrop of an increasing awareness of the impact of structural and interpersonal racism, classism, discrimination (or bias) based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and ableism on health and sexual and reproductive health care. The Office of Population Affairs of the HHS sought to be responsive to these complex conditions by centering equity in the update of its Quality Family Planning recommendations from start to finish, including in its approach to reviews of published literature, the creation of expert and technical workgroups to assess the literature and make recommendations, and actively engaging persons with lived experience to gather their insights so that the final product could genuinely respond to the needs of the community.