- What do you think are the reasons of high unmet need of FP in the Philippines?
According to Casterline et al., (1997), there are several reasons that explain the number of unmet needs for planning:
- Women with unmet needs for family planning believe they have a low chance of becoming pregnant. This convinces them that contraception is useless and wasteful of money.
- Women with unmet needs for family planning have weakly held fertility preferences. Contraceptive non-users stated that they have never given much thought to their reproductive choices or desire to have children. Pregnancy is often unavoidable, according to a lower percentage of non-users.
- Lack of awareness about contraception options. Despite the fact that contraceptives are legally required, many people do not know how to obtain them. Some of them are also unsure how to use contraceptives, while others are concerned about the health risks of contraceptives.
- The use of contraception is socially and culturally taboo. Since the Philippines is a religiously conservative country, contraceptives are condemned by the church.
- Partner's reluctance to contraception use, most usually the husband's, due to the discomfort of use and the costs of obtaining them.
- What are ways you can suggest to increase the practice of FP in the country? Give least 1-2 suggestions.
A healthcare system that encourages the practice of Family Planning should first be established in order for any of our plans to effectively work. The government should allocate more funds and guarantee support, especially in remote areas/health centers. By having good leaders in the government, we can address the problems of unmet needs of FP accordingly.
Keep our women to be well-informed and educated when it comes to family planning and their choices. To boost the use of family planning in the country, we should first improve women's health literacy so that they can make informed decisions about having children. More opportunities for being aware of family planning, such as counseling services and free orientation of information, are all components of this. There should also be efforts to address people's misconceptions about Family Planning.
References:
Casterline, J., Perez, A., & Biddlecom, A. (1997). Factors Underlying Unmet Need for Family Planning in the Philippines. Studies in Family Planning