Bipartisan US senators have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to release family-planning funding for women affected by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They argue that maintaining access to contraception and reproductive healthcare is important during an emergency, when health services are disrupted and women face increased risks.

The request concerns US-supported family-planning assistance that the senators say should be made available alongside the wider Ebola response. The outbreak has placed additional strain on healthcare in the DRC, where conflict, limited infrastructure and funding reductions have complicated efforts to contain disease and maintain essential services.