FAMILY PLANNING : ITS IMPACT ON THE HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

This report explores how family planning (FP) can help avoid or reduce some of these problems. Using research data from 37 developing and developed countries, the author shows that a child"s chances of surviving the first few years of life are reduced if children are born close together in time; the family already has three or more children; and the mother is under 20 or over 35. For example, in India, Lebanon, the Philippines, and Turkey, child mortality rates are highest for those born less than a year since their mother"s last birth. Under the same conditions, the mother is also at significantly higher risk of incurring complications such as hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism, toxemia, or even death. Moreover, many of the estimated 15-25 million annual illegal abortions end in complications or death because dangerous traditional methods such as "massaging" the abdomen or inserting toxic herbs or sharp sticks into the uterus are used. When women have access to FP information and methods, a great number choose not to have large families, closely-spaced births, and births at unfavorable ages. For example, in Chile between 1962 and 1978, the proportion of third or later births declined sharply, with the largest drops among females under 15 or over 30 -- with a consequent drop in the number of fatal illegal abortions. In the United States, abortion now causes less than one death per million in women aged 15-44 as compared to 10-85 deaths per million in developing countries. Since the mid-1960"s, when organized FP programs began in many developing countries, over 34% of women of childbearing age are using some form of contraception. However, because they lack easy access to contraceptive supplies and/or information, nearly half use inefficient methods (such as withdrawal, rhythm, or douching) or fear using modern methods such as the pill or IUD. The author recommends continuing and expanding FP programs in developing countries. An 87-item bibliography (1938-81) in English and Spanish is appended.