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The Global Family Planning Movement: At a Crossroads

The Global Family Planning Movement: At a Crossroads. Lori Ashford Population Reference Bureau May 17, 2005. A Half Century of History. Longstanding links to concerns about population growth Health of mothers and children also a rationale but doesn’t galvanize equal political support

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The Global Family Planning Movement: At a Crossroads

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  1. The Global Family Planning Movement: At a Crossroads Lori Ashford Population Reference Bureau May 17, 2005

  2. A Half Century of History • Longstanding links to concerns about population growth • Health of mothers and children also a rationale but doesn’t galvanize equal political support • 1994 Cairo conference viewed as a “turning point”

  3. Perceptions of Family Planning Have Shifted • “Since [the Cairo conference] family planning is only a component of reproductive health and not necessarily the most important one…” • “As a funding priority, AIDS stands out in a class on its own. What is left for all the other programs?” • “If America doesn’t want it, why should you introduce it?” Source: A. Tsui and A. Blanc, 2005. “The Dilemma of Past Success: Insiders Views on the Family Planning Movement”

  4. Perceptions, cont. • “Remember the population bomb? The new threat to the planet is not too many people but too few.” Newsweek International, Sept. 2004 • “Family planning programs, like the fertility transition they helped to drive, will be a transient phenomenon.” John Caldwell et al, 2002

  5. Still, the Need for Family Planning Remains • Fertility decline – not straight and orderly • Unmet need for contraception and unintended pregnancies are common • Needs are highest among the poorest women • Women in low-fertility countries also have needs

  6. Women Who “Need” Family Planning Percent of married women ages 15-49 who prefer to avoid a pregnancy Source: ORC Macro, Demographic and Health Surveys

  7. Modern Contraceptive Use Among Poor and Rich Women Percent of married women 15-49 Source: World Bank, 2004, Round II Country Reports on Health, Nutrition, and Population Conditions Among the Poor and the Better-Off in 56 Countries

  8. Women’s Need for Family Planning in Romania Use of Contraception (% of married women) Planning Status of Recent Pregnancies Source: Reproductive Health Survey Romania, 1999

  9. Family Planning is Still a Good Investment • Reducing numbers of abortions • Prevention of maternal deaths • Improvements in child health • Promotion of gender equality • HIV/AIDS – prevention of mother-to-child transmission • Cost-effective

  10. Ways to Regain Focus on Family Planning • Finding synergies with other programs and issues • Repositioning Family Planning in Africa – USAID’s efforts • Including family planning and reproductive health in the Millennium Development Goals

  11. Challenges • Competition for policymakers’ attention and limited resources • Complex data and messages don’t make for an easy “sell”

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