Lack of access to health care discourages women in the rural United States from going to work. Lack of access to health care in Africa increases maternal mortality. And lack of access to health care in nations around the world leads to chronic diseases associated with old age. Some nations in Europe are at or near zero population growth - increasing the percentage of elderly. In Africa and Asia, where AIDS has been so devastating - working age adults are dying, leaving children and the elderly behind.
Japan has one of the oldest societies on earth - and is trying to encourage parenthood.
In the United States, the number of Americans over 65 is expected to double in the next 30 years. A large majority of these older Americans will be women. This is not a think-tank, academic issue. This is about life. This is about each one of us.