Fertility myths put millions off contraception, UN report warns | Global health | The Guardian
▻https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/30/contraception-myths-mean-nearly-half-of-pregnancies-worldwide-unintende
▻https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f850258c94ac2a37410e81f1ffc7b9216ce3d492/0_371_5568_3341/master/5568.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-ali
Myths and misinformation surrounding the use of contraception are putting women off using modern family planning methods, the UN population fund has warned, as figures showed that nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended.
More than half of all pregnancies—~121 million—are unintended. But lack of access to family planning isn’t the issue—myths, stigma, and misinformation are to blame, says UNFPA, according to a recent UNFPA report, The Guardian reports.
~250 million+ women aren’t using effective contraception, despite wanting to avoid getting pregnant
+60% of unintended pregnancies end in abortion; ~45% of all abortions are unsafe
Women from around the world in a small survey cited the rumors they’d heard, that contraceptives make people grow fat, or cause infertility and cancer.
Shame stigma, fear, poverty, gender inequality and many other factors undermine women and girls’ ability to choose, writes UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem in the report’s foreword—raising “provocative and unsettling questions about how much the world values women and girls beyond their reproductive capacities.”
A solution: The report calls for governments to deliver comprehensive sexuality education to combat myths—and promote communication, consent, and respect.
The Quote: “For the women affected, the most life-altering reproductive choice – whether or not to become pregnant – is no choice at all,” Kanem told The Guardian.