“What we’re seeing is more rapid change… across all the countries,” said Beth Schlachter, executive director of FP2020, in a telephone briefing. In Africa, the rate of contraceptive use increased to 23.4 percent from 19.5 percent from 2012 to 2017, the report said. However, the future of some family planning projects is in doubt since U.S. President Donald Trump reinstated a policy this year blocking U.S. funding to overseas groups that perform or provide information about abortion, it added. At least 214 million women in developing countries lack access to birth control – resulting in 89 million unintended pregnancies and 48 million abortions a year, according to UNFPA. The FP2020 initiative started in 2012 with the goal of enabling 120 million more women and girls in developing countries to use modern contraceptives by the year 2020.

Source: Indian Express December 05, 2017 03:37 UTC