Why Family Planning Is Important

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Starting a family takes careful consideration and planning, regardless of your socioeconomic status. It is of utmost importance for newlyweds and young couples to sit down and talk about when they are planning to have children, how many children they are going to have, and how far in between to space the children. This will help ensure that they have a healthy, stable, and happy family life. More than that, if all couples practice family planning, the world will be in a much better place. Here we provide several reasons that emphasis the importance of family planning on a global scale.

  1. Fewer maternal deaths. According to the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than half a million women die every year due to childbirth and pregnancy-related complications such as hemorrhage, sepsis, and hypertensive disorders. Preventing unintended pregnancies through family planning, whether natural or artificial, can help bring the current maternal mortality ratio down by at least a quarter. That’s more than 120,000 lives saved each year.
  2. Fewer abortions. Unwanted pregnancies may lead to abortion. Indeed, the Center for Bioethical Reform estimates that about 42 million abortions are performed each year around the world, about 83% of which are done in developing countries. Although it is less likely for a married woman than an unmarried woman to choose abortion for an unwanted pregnancy, it still does not discount the fact that around 18% of all abortions are performed on married women. By following a natural or artificial family planning method, newlyweds and young married couples have a better chance of avoiding unwanted pregnancies and going through the painful process of abortion.
  3. Improving children’s lives. Family planning, regardless if it’s natural or artificial, allows a couple to make the necessary arrangements that enable their children to have a good quality of life. Studies have shown that children who are born at least two years apart in a household are more likely to have better lives than children born months or a year after another. In terms of health, statistics show that spacing pregnancies at least two years apart improves infant survival by about 50%.  Additionally, if the couple plans to have children during the woman’s healthiest childbearing years, their children also stand to have increased chances of surviving through infancy and remaining healthy throughout their lives.
  4. Promotion of safer sexual behavior.  Family planning is not just about planning when to have children and how to avoid getting pregnant using natural and artificial methods. It’s also about practicing safe sex. Using artificial family planning methods such as condoms and diaphragms go along towards ensuring that you remain healthy despite having an active sex life.
  5. Slower population growth. The United States Census Bureau approximates that about 137 million people are born each day. With the world suffering from environmental problems such as pollution and global warming, any way to bring this number down will go a long way toward ensuring that whatever resources we have can be conserved for the future generations. Family planning is one of the best ways to slow down population growth and manage resources.


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