Why Investing in Family Planning Makes Sense

The right number of children at the right time: these are sensible ideals, preferred by most women and couples to give their children proper care and a better future. These are also guaranteed as human rights in the Constitution. The upper 20% of families enjoy these rights quite easily. Ten well-off women will, on average, end up with just 3 unplanned children among them. A similar-sized group from the poorest 40% will end up with 13 to 19. Poor women bear the most number of unplanned births.

Meeting Women’s Contraceptive Needs in the Philippines (2009), a study by the Guttmacher Institute and the UP Population Institute, shows the scale of this problem and how the government can protect lives, wellbeing and public funds through sufficient investments in modern family planning (FP).

Unintended pregnancies are wide­spread & their impact severe

The study estimates that in 2008:

• 54% of all pregnancies were unintended;
• 1.9 M unintended pregnancies occurred;
• 560,000 of these pregnancies ended in induced abortions;
• 90,000 women were hospitalized after these abortions;
• 1,000 women died from abortion complications;
• 1,600 more died from births and miscarriages from unintended pregnancies; and
• 33% of births were spaced too closely, which led to more infant deaths and injuries.

Non-use of effective family planning is the main cause

All women who are having sex but do not want to get pregnant soon or ever face the risk of unintended pregnancy. Correct and consistent use of modern FP greatly reduces this risk. The study estimates that 92% of unintended pregnancies occurred in women who were not using any effective method:

• 68% had no method at all; and
• 24% used traditional methods.

Poor people face the most risk

Poor women, families and regions have the least access to FP supplies, ser­vices and information. The study shows that:

• when asked why they don’t use contraceptives, the poorest women cite lack of access twice more often than wealthier women;
• 53% of women not using any method are poor—they belong to the bottom 40% of families; this biased impact on poor people rises much further in distant regions.

When poor women do get pregnant, they are also the ones least able to:

• have a skilled birth attendant or deliver in a health facility, increasing their risk of death and disability; and
• access emergency obstetric care in case of complications, putting their lives in more danger.

Investing in the family planning needs of women saves lives & public funds

If all women at risk for unintended pregnancy use modern methods only, the study estimates that annually, there would be:

• 2,100 women saved from maternal deaths;
• 800,000 less unplanned births;
• 500,000 less induced abortions; and
• 200,000 less miscarriages.

The combined costs for family planning and maternal and newborn care will actually fall by P800 million, since:

• family planning would increase from P1.9 to P4.0 billion; but
• medical costs for unintended pregnancies would fall from P3.5 to P0.6 billion; and
• medical costs for planned pregnancies would remain the same at P3.9 billion.

Investing in universal access to family planning makes sense. It would benefit poor people, protect women’s lives, promote healthy families and save public funds for use in more social development programs.

POLICY BRIEF - Released by Likhaan Center for Women’s Health Inc., in partnership with: Acosta Foundation • BALAOD Mindanaw • Bangsamoro Women Solidarity Forum • Brokenshire WomanCenter • Institute of Primary Health Care - Davao Medical School Foundation • Mahintana Foundation • Pinay Kilos • Sahaya sin Kawman • Tarbilang Foundation • United Youth of the Philippines - Women

Updated August 2011 • Download printable pdf here (English and Filipino in one file)