REPOSITIONING FP: Our work is well-cut out

The last two decades have been a nightmare for the advocates of family planning on the African continent. Resources that used to be allocated to family planning programs have since dwindled, leading to the gradual increase in fertility rates, which in turn caused a rise in unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and a high maternal and infant mortality rate. In the meantime, the lack of access to FP services has led HIV women to unwanted pregnancies, with all the imaginable underlying consequences.

Recent Demographic Health Surveys, just like other studies, indicate a fall of the modern contraceptive prevalence to less than 40% in most African countries. Meanwhile, unwanted pregnancies, which on many occasions lead to unsafe abortion and death, have been on the increase as well. Under such circumstances, it is deplorable to note that African countries, aid donors and even NGO’s have failed to establish a link between family planning and the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7. This situation is putting a strain on family resources and hindering national development. This trend, which is aggravating the situation of the reproductive health must be reversed. That is why the IPPF and its partners have decided to champion the repositioning of family planning.

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