Family Planning for Women in Conflict Areas Seen as Crucial

James Butty – Voice of America – Friday, 13 July 2012 ( originally published 11 Jul)

Pregnant women watching televisition in the pre-natal ward.

Pregnant women watch television as they wait in the pre-natal ward at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone, September 10, 2010. Image: Voice of America

Wednesday is World Population Day, and the United Nations Population Fund says reproductive health is crucial for development.

Dr. Dhammika Perera, senior technical advisor for global reproductive health programs at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said his organization believes that giving women in conflict areas access to family planning is the key to reducing maternal mortality.

“Right now, the estimate this year is that 222 million women in developing countries need, but cannot get access to, modern contraceptive methods, and we firmly believe that, if they are going to expand family planning access with the aim to cut down maternal deaths or pregnancy-related deaths, the target should be giving these women access to these methods,” he said . . .

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