UNMET NEED AND PRACTICE OF FAMILY PLANNING
Answer the following questions and post your answers here. Cite references if possible
What do you think are the reasons of high unmet need of FP in the Philippines?
The Philippines being dominantly populated by the Roman Catholic Religion views family planning and sexual activities as taboo. In relation, the Likhaan Center for Women's Health Inc. (2010) states that 22 percent of married women do not use contraception, while 17 percent of married women use traditional and natural family planning methods. This country's unmet demand for contraception may be elucidated by women’s fear of adverse effects and potential threats to health and well-being which accounts for the most common explanation exacerbated by widespread misinformation and poor knowledge of the idea of family planning. Moreover, most women are carefree in engaging in sexual activities owing to the belief of a low chance of getting pregnant as they frequently have sex and symptoms of the childbearing process are not evident. Finally, the excessive cost of Family Planning Methods especially for the marginalized sector remains a barrier due to unimproved policies on ensuring reproductive health services are equitably accessed by the general public.
Essentially, deficient knowledge propagated to at-risk individuals for pregnancy remains a sound reason for the Philippines' unmet requirement for Family Planning. With the government's incapacity to promote awareness and education about proper contraceptive use alongside the failure to devote an appropriate financial budget, unwanted pregnancies still frequently occur and family planning procedures are being unmet despite their necessity and salience.
What are ways you can suggest to increase the practice of FP in the country? Give least 1-2 suggestions.
Providing factual education on family planning.
The population’s lack of knowledge and proper education remains a contributor to the country's unmet demand for family planning and this contributes to the spread of misinformation. Women and their partners will benefit from increased sex education which would promote intelligent and informed judgments about the situation. In family planning, women are constantly concerned about its potentially deleterious effects and adverse bodily impacts, however, through factual and credible providence of education, these issues and misconceptions would be addressed and elucidated accordingly. With this, women's understanding would be enhanced allowing them to make more educated decisions regarding the utilization of contraceptives and overall actions on sexual activities.
Strengthening the sexual and reproductive health system.
National and Local Governments must prioritize the provision of sexual and reproductive health services. To protect and provide contraception as a human right in the health system, domestic finances and resources must be given to contraception, creating an enabling environment for women’s sexual and reproductive health rights. This includes appropriate national funding for these services to guarantee that adequate resources and employees are available at healthcare institutions to provide quality care.
Moreover, the implementation of reproductive health law must be improved in order to guarantee that all people have access to safe, effective, and high-quality reproductive healthcare services and supplies.
References:
Belanger, E. & Mutunga, A. (2016). 4 ways to strengthen family planning programs. devex.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022 from https://www.devex.com/news/4-ways-to-strengthen-family-planning-programs-88811
Casterline, J. B., Perez, A. E., & Biddlecom, A. E. (1997). Factors underlying unmet need for family planning in the Philippines. Studies in family planning, 28(3), 173–191.
Diamond-Smith, N., Campbell, M., & Madan, S. (2012). Misinformation and fear of side-effects of family planning. Culture, health & sexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2012.664659
Likhaan Center for Women’s Health Inc. (2010). Facts on abrrier to contraceptive use in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/factsheet/fbcontraceptives-philippines.pdf