Description
About 225 million women have unmet family planning needs. Out of 213 million pregnancies, 40 percent are unintended. And about half of these unintended pregnancies end in unsafe abortions, which cause maternal deaths and injuries.
Faith-based organizations can help close the gap in family planning needs and contribute to improved health outcomes, especially among women and girls.
Some of the benefits of family planning include:
- the protection of women's and children's health.
- decreased number of unsafe abortions.
- overall improvement in women's educational and economic opportunities.
Contributors
-
Dr. Douglas Huber
Co-Chair of Christian Connections for International Health's Family Planning/Reproductive Health Working Group
Moderator -
Marie Mukabatsinda
Institute for Reproductive Health, Georgetown University
Working with Catholics on natural family planning -
Jane Kishoyian
Christian Health Association of Kenya
Training religious leaders to work with community health workers to increase demand for family planning -
Yoram Siame
Churches Health Association of Zambia
Working with religious leaders to influence policy -
Mustafa Asman Ismail
Kenya Muslim Youth Development Organization
Perspectives on "Quality Families" and reaching Muslim leaders -
Lily Haritu
Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services
Family planning integration project in Cameroon