222 million women have unmet need for voluntary family planning – UNFPA

GENEVA – Around 222 million women in developing countries have an unmet need for voluntary family planning, a United Nations report said Wednesday.

Making voluntary family planning available to everyone would reduce maternal and newborn health care costs by 11.3 billion US dollars annually, according to the “State of World Population 2012” report released by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

The report said the unmet need was either caused by the women’s lack of access to contraceptives, information, and quality services or by social and economic forces which prevent them from using the services.

Dianne Stewart, director of UNFPA’s Information and External Relations Division, told reporters that the biggest unmet need was in West Africa, including Chad, Niger and Somalia.

Of the 80 million unintended pregnancies that were projected to occur in 2012, an estimated 40 million will likely end in abortion. Addressing the unmet need would advert 54 million unintended pregnancies and result in 26 million fewer abortions, said the report.

It said that investing in family planning would help reduce poverty, improve health, promote gender equality, enable adolescents to finish their schooling, and increase labor force participation.

The UNFPA made a series of recommendations for governments, international organizations, and the civil society, including radically increasing financial support and political commitment, eliminating economic, social, logistical and financial obstacles to voluntary family planning, and engaging men and boys in family planning. –Philippine News Agency | Xinhua