Transcript Advancing Commitments - Family Care International

UNWANTED PREGNANCY
An unwanted pregnancy is a pregnancy that a
woman or girl decides, of her own free will, is
undesired.
Nearly 40% of the nearly 182 million pregnancies
each year in the developing world are unwanted
or ill-timed. 46 million unwanted pregnancies end
in abortion each year, 20 million of which are
unsafe.
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Causes of unwanted pregnancy
Non-use of available contraceptives, due to
Lack of information, limited access to services, financial
constraints, personal beliefs, family objections, and/or health
concerns
Misinformation about reproduction
Adolescents are susceptible to unwanted pregnancy and the
risks of early and unprotected sexual activity because they
lack information and services
Sexual coercion, abuse, or rape
20% to 50% of all women report having experienced sexual
violence
Contraceptive failure
Leads to an estimated 8-30 million pregnancies each year
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Emergency contraception (EC)
Contraceptive methods women can
use to prevent unwanted pregnancy
in the first few days following
unprotected sex.
The most common method of EC is
to take a specific increased dose of
oral contraceptive pills within 72
hours of intercourse. EC does not
cause abortion.
EC is especially appropriate for women who have
experienced condom failure or sexual coercion.
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Family planning decreases unwanted
pregnancy and the need for abortion
Unmet need for contraception
Worldwide between 120 and 150 million married women —
and up to 15 million unmarried women — who want to limit
or space future pregnancies are not using a contraceptive
method.
Family planning services must:
Be available to married and unmarried people
Offer a range of methods appropriate to clients’ needs
Be provided in a confidential and non-judgmental manner
Access to and correct use of family planning methods can
prevent many unwanted pregnancies and reduce the need for
abortion.
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Consequences of unwanted pregnancy
Unwanted pregnancy has significant consequences for women
and their families, including:
Unwanted and early marriage
Constrained opportunities for education or employment
Social stigma for unmarried women/girls
Additional strain on family resources for food, education,
and health care
Unsafe abortion, which may result in long-term illness,
emotional distress, and death
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UNSAFE ABORTION
Unsafe abortion
Unsafe abortion is the termination of a pregnancy
carried out by someone without the skills or training
to perform the procedure safely, or in a place that
does not meet minimal medical standards, or both.
Approximately 20 million unsafe abortions take
place each year. More than 200 women die every
day from complications of unsafe abortion. 99.9%
of abortion-related deaths and complications occur
in the developing world.
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World’s abortion laws
Percentage of world’s women living in countries where abortion is permitted,
various conditions
.4%
25%
Prohibited entirely
To save a woman's life
Physical health
Mental health
Socioeconomic grounds
42%
10%
Without restrictions
3%
20%
Even where abortion is permitted by law, women often encounter
obstacles when seeking to end a pregnancy, including: high cost,
difficult access, inadequate facilities, social stigma, and poorly trained
and unsympathetic medical personnel.
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Deaths from unsafe abortion (per year)
Unsafe abortion: Global and
Regional Estimates of
incidence of and Mortality –
World Health Organization
38,500
40,000
34,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
5,000
500
0
Africa
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Asia
Latin America & Caribbean
Europe
Social and economic costs of
unsafe abortion
Some hospitals in developing countries spend as much as
50% of their obstetric and gynecological budgets
treating complications of unsafe abortion.
Disabilities resulting from complications of unsafe abortion
may also:
limit women’s productivity inside and outside of the home
constrain their ability to care for their children
adversely affect sexual relations
When mothers die from abortion-related complications, their
families lose a primary care giver and in many cases, a
primary wage earner as well.
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Addressing unsafe abortion
Unsafe abortion is a public health concern that affects the lives
of tens of thousands of women, children, and families each year.
Public policy and laws must respect and promote women’s
health and rights, by:
Ensuring that changes in abortion laws are accompanied by
supportive policies and service delivery guidelines that promote
safe, high quality services
Ensuring greater access to comprehensive sexual and
reproductive health services, including high quality care for
abortion complications and safe services for legal termination of
pregnancy
Refraining from prosecuting women who have had abortions
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Safe and legal abortion services
Women must know of and have access to safe, high
quality abortion services to the extent permitted by
national laws.
Providers must:
Be well-informed about the status of the law
Offer women high quality services and a choice of
appropriate technologies
Provide confidential, compassionate counseling
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Postabortion care saves lives
Postabortion care must be available to
women suffering from complications of
spontaneous and induced abortions.
Postabortion care includes:
Emergency treatment of
abortion complications
Family planning counseling and services
Linkages to a full range of reproductive health services
Community participation to help prevent unwanted pregnancies
and ensure that women suffering from postabortion
complications receive the care they need in a timely manner.
Postabortion care services should be offered in a
compassionate,non-judgmental manner.
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