--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I really believe all lives have equal…" description: "\"If I really believe all lives have equal value, and if I use contraceptives, which I do, and if I'm counselling my son and my two daughters to use them..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/melinda-gates-3776_access_if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal_2559259.jpg" --- # If I really believe all lives have equal value, and if I… ![“If I really believe all lives have equal value, and if I use contraceptives, which I do, and if I'm counselling my son and my two daughters to use them, how am I not serving the women who don't have access to the contraceptives they need?” quote by Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/melinda-gates-3776_access_if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal_2559259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/melinda-gates-3776_access_if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal_2559259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/melinda-gates-3776_access_if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal_2559259.jpg) > “If I really believe all lives have equal value, and if I use contraceptives, which I do, and if I'm counselling my son and my two daughters to use them, how am I not serving the women who don't have access to the contraceptives they need?” [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates that personal use of contraceptives aligns with supporting broader access for women lacking resources. **In simple terms:** Using birth control personally supports the cause of wider access. Key Takeaway Promote equitable contraceptive access. Themes equality health advocacy Mood determined empathetic Type ethical inspirational When to use this quote - Family counseling - public health policy - NGO programs Key Concepts Reproductive rights social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can personal choices influence systemic change? - What policies can expand access? A Different Perspective Access barriers remain despite personal practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Access Contraceptives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access-contraceptives-1591454/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Contraceptives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contraceptives/) [Contraceptives Counselling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contraceptives-counselling-1591453/) [Contraceptives Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contraceptives-need-1591455/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Equal Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-value-796627/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lives Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-equal-1395837/) [My son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-son/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Serving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serving/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Two daughters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-daughters/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [All lives have an equal value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/all-lives-have-an-equal-value/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [I don't believe that bureaucrats in Washington should tell someone whether they can use contraceptives or not. And I don't believe employers should tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-don-t-believe-that-bureaucrats-in-washington-should-tell-someone/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [I have consistently supported laws ensuring women are able to make their own health care decisions, and I will continue to protect women's access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-maffei/i-have-consistently-supported-laws-ensuring-women-are-able-to-make/) [Dan Maffei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-maffei/) > [All lives have equal value. And so you say, 'why do poor children die when other children don't? Why do some people have enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/all-lives-have-equal-value-and-so-you-say-why-do-poor-children-die/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her rights. Social distinctions can be based only on the common utility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympe-de-gouges/woman-is-born-free-and-lives-equal-to-man-in-her-rights-social/) [Olympe de Gouges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympe-de-gouges/) > [Deep down, if we really accept that their lives - African lives - are equal to ours, we would all be doing more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-sachs/deep-down-if-we-really-accept-that-their-lives-african-lives-are/) [Jeffrey Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-sachs/) > [“I knew that not all lives are equal, that the time we live in affects the person we are, more than I had ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/i-knew-that-not-all-lives-are-equal-that-the-time-we-live-in-affects/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [When I look at 225 million women who want contraceptives, and then I look at the 52 million unintended pregnancies that could be avoided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/when-i-look-at-225-million-women-who-want-contraceptives-and-then-i/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [In the United States, there's definitely some controversy about birth control in general, and I think we needed to split the debate and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/in-the-united-states-there-s-definitely-some-controversy-about-birth/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Now we just really need to do the work, which we're doing, to get contraceptives out to women worldwide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/now-we-just-really-need-to-do-the-work-which-we-re-doing-to-get/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Contraceptives unlock one of the most dormant, but potentially powerful assets in development: women as decision-makers. When women have the power to make choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/contraceptives-unlock-one-of-the-most-dormant-but-potentially/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [I've always felt like every note of a song is of equal value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gill/i-ve-always-felt-like-every-note-of-a-song-is-of-equal-value/) [Vince Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gill/) > [To obtain something, something of equal value must be given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiromu-arakawa/to-obtain-something-something-of-equal-value-must-be-given/) [Hiromu Arakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiromu-arakawa/) > [Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fullmetal-alchemist/humankind-cannot-gain-anything-without-first-giving-something-in/) [Fullmetal Alchemist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fullmetal-alchemist/) > [Nobody is just anything... everyone is of equal value, regardless of their station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nobody-is-just-anything-everyone-is-of-equal-value-regardless-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Melinda Gates > [I've travelled extensively in the last 16 years - to slums in Bangladesh, to townships in South Africa, to all kinds of places in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/i-ve-travelled-extensively-in-the-last-16-years-to-slums-in/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [I think it's very important that we instill in our kids that it has nothing to do with their name or their situation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/i-think-it-s-very-important-that-we-instill-in-our-kids-that-it-has/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/a-woman-with-a-voice-is-by-definition-a-strong-woman-but-the-search/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Abortion has become a very politicised issue that I think countries have to work out themselves. In a lot of countries, people can't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/abortion-has-become-a-very-politicised-issue-that-i-think-countries/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Men make different investments than women do. Women tend to invest more of their earnings than men do in their family's well-being - as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/men-make-different-investments-than-women-do-women-tend-to-invest/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Contraceptives unlock one of the most dormant, but potentially powerful assets in development: women as decision-makers. When women have the power to make choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/contraceptives-unlock-one-of-the-most-dormant-but-potentially/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Poverty disproportionately affects women around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/poverty-disproportionately-affects-women-around-the-world/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [What great changes have not been ambitious?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/what-great-changes-have-not-been-ambitious/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [When girls are educated and free to pursue their passions, they contribute more to a thriving society. When women have a voice, they raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/when-girls-are-educated-and-free-to-pursue-their-passions-they/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [You are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/you-are-indebted-to-life-until-you-help-some-less-fortunate-person/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Philanthropy is not about the money. It's about using whatever resources you have at your fingertips and applying them to improving the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/philanthropy-is-not-about-the-money-it-s-about-using-whatever/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [In different places you run into myths around vaccination or around family planning. In the United States, one of the myths that existed for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/in-different-places-you-run-into-myths-around-vaccination-or-around/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [“Anyone can be made to feel like an outsider. It’s up to the people who have the power to exclude. Often it’s on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/anyone-can-be-made-to-feel-like-an-outsider-it-s-up-to-the-people-who/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Having children made us look differently at all these things that we take for granted, like taking your child to get a vaccine against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/having-children-made-us-look-differently-at-all-these-things-that-we/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Now we just really need to do the work, which we're doing, to get contraceptives out to women worldwide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/now-we-just-really-need-to-do-the-work-which-we-re-doing-to-get/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) [Explore all 122 Melinda Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) ## More Access quotes > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You can disseminate your art, and it's all such easy access now. The upside to it is that more people are creating than ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-clarke/you-can-disseminate-your-art-and-it-s-all-such-easy-access-now-the/) [Stanley Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-clarke/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/) [Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/) > [The best way to fight poverty is to empower people through access to quality education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/the-best-way-to-fight-poverty-is-to-empower-people-through-access-to/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Because the Internet's there, I have access to a lot of the legends, like Fela Kuti. I used to watch a lot of Fela…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-krule/because-the-internet-s-there-i-have-access-to-a-lot-of-the-legends/) [King Krule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-krule/) > [There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess; otherwise, there is a risk it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/there-needs-to-be-some-regime-that-is-overseeing-access-to-broadband/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Now that I'm more middle class, I have access to consumer goods. I do enjoy feminine frippery, feminine doo-da, stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/now-that-i-m-more-middle-class-i-have-access-to-consumer-goods-i-do/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Schools have never been about getting access to information. That's the job of libraries. Schools and universities have nobler missions as gentle gatekeepers. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-nikiforuk/schools-have-never-been-about-getting-access-to-information-that-s/) [Andrew Nikiforuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-nikiforuk/) > [To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. Your helplessness is the very thing which opens wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-hallesby/to-pray-is-to-open-the-door-unto-jesus-and-admit-him-into-your/) [Ole Hallesby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ole-hallesby/) > [Broadband Internet access shouldn't depend on who you are or where you're from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/broadband-internet-access-shouldn-t-depend-on-who-you-are-or-where/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) [Browse all 2,178 Access quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I really believe all lives have equal value, and if I use contraceptives, which I do, and if I'm counselling my son and my two daughters to use them, how am I not serving the women who don't have access to the contraceptives they need?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Melinda Gates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal-value-and-if-i-use/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Access" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal-value-and-if-i-use/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/melinda-gates-3776_access_if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal_2559259.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/melinda-gates-3776_access_if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal_2559259.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/melinda-gates-3776_access_if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal_2559259.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I really believe all lives have equal value, and if I use contraceptives, which I do, and if I'm…” — Melinda Gates", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Melinda Gates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I really believe all lives...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal-value-and-if-i-use/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/if-i-really-believe-all-lives-have-equal-value-and-if-i-use/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```