Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock/puhhha

Almost half of pregnancies worldwide ‘unintended’, report finds

The report by the United Nations Population Fund was hosted by the Irish Family Planning Association.

A MAJOR REPORT has found that almost half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended.

The report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), hosted by the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), found that between 2015 and 2019, there were roughly 121 million unintended pregnancies each year.

It found that an estimated 257 million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using safe, modern contraception.

The report – Seeing the unseen, the case for action in the neglected crisis of unintended pregnancy – found that in 47 countries, about 40% of sexually active women were not using any contraceptive to avoid pregnancy.

Irish woman Jacqueline Mahon, the principal adviser for International Development Finance at UNFPA, said unintended pregnancies are very common, and most people know someone who has faced that challenge.

The report also found that nearly a quarter of women are not able to say no to sex, and that rape-related pregnancies are equally or more likely to occur than pregnancies from consensual sex.

Contraceptive use is 53% lower among women who have experienced intimate partner violence.

Over 60% of unintended pregnancies and almost 30% of all pregnancies end in abortion, with 45% of abortions performed globally being rated as unsafe.

The report found that unsafe abortions led to about seven million women needing hospital treatment a year, and caused 5% to 13% of maternal deaths.

In developing countries, unsafe abortions cost almost €423 million per year in treatment alone.

In humanitarian emergencies, such as the war in Ukraine, many women lose access to contraception or experience sexual violence.

Some studies have shown that over 20% of refugee women and girls will face sexual violence.

In the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the estimated disruption on contraceptive supplies and services lasted an average of 3.6 months, leading to as many as 1.4 million unintended pregnancies.

Mahon said the report also shows that a quarter of women cannot say no to sex.

She added: “A quarter of women cannot make the decision to go to a health facility to access sexual reproductive health services, almost 10% of women and girls cannot use a modern contraceptive.

In terms of the numbers, given some of these underlining issues, I think it’s something that we really wanted to bring to the forefront because it is in many ways hidden and it is a crisis.

She also said the implications of unsafe abortions are significant to women’s wellbeing and health.

“Where abortion is legal, it must be safe, where abortion is not legal, then there must be access to what we call post-abortion care services,” Mahon added.

“That those services are there and women can go and seek them and be provided with the necessary services available.”

Mahon also said that women in conflict zones, including refugee camps and other humanitarian settings, are at high risk of unintended pregnancies.

The organisation estimates that 80,000 Ukrainian women will give birth in the next three months.

“We’re hearing reports of women giving birth underground as they seek shelter, and giving birth without having skilled professionals around them,” she added.

“So we are scaling up our support there to ensure that we have rapid response services available to help to women.”

Close
16 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Carol Conway
    Favourite Carol Conway
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 8:46 AM

    I always thought Men were involved in reproduction…but not once were they mentioned in this article. Not once did it say Men are not using contraceptives, not once did it mention Men raping or abusing. According to the media people are being raped by some mysterious unseen force. It must be a great thing to have zero responsibilities or consequences.

    211
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute lorcmulv
    Favourite lorcmulv
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 9:03 AM

    @Carol Conway: apparently it’s “woman’s body / woman’s choice” unless it’s rape and then the man should be castrated – isn’t it great women now have the choice in Ireland. But we do need stronger sentences for sexual attacks

    49
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute kjholt
    Favourite kjholt
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 9:19 AM

    @Carol Conway: it does say 25% of women in the survey cannot say no to sex, this is rape.
    It states that pregnancies are as likely to occur from non-consensual sex as consensual.

    33
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Van-Standen
    Favourite David Van-Standen
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 10:47 AM

    @Carol Conway: Does it really need to be stated that any rape with the risk of unwanted pregnancy is committed by a man? Because it seems pretty obvious that would be the case.

    As to men being equally responsible for contraception, personally I would agree, however the article is written from the perspective of women’s rights to personal bodily autonomy and their access to modern contraception, or the lack thereof globally.

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Credalytics ☘️
    Favourite Credalytics ☘️
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 10:03 AM

    Study eugenicists and abortion fanatics find there’s too many people being born even despite the fact that fertility rates have collapses across the world, well there’s a surprise.

    Couldn’t help but notice that post abortion care is now the aspiration of women whereas before it was raising future generations. What a sad indictment.

    40
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute SJF
    Favourite SJF
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 10:56 AM

    @Credalytics ☘️: Look around you. Why would any woman – or any person – want to bring a child into this world? I know I sure as hell won’t.

    45
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Rathminder
    Favourite Rathminder
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 9:27 AM

    Concerned about overpopulation? Don’t approve of abortion? Then pump money into free/inexpensive birth control for women especially in the third world. Men were glanced over in the article, yes. Their birth control option is a condom or a condom. If you know anyone who actually likes using a condom I’d like to hear about it!

    38
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute
    Favourite
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 9:52 AM

    @Rathminder: they have far more options than this but selfishness reigns. There’s a new male pill, which like the old male pill, will not be taken by men. Why? Because it produced side effects similar to the female pill, god forbid. So it’s up to women to take responsibility, and according to society it’s also our fault if we suffer rape. We’re all asking for it.

    56
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Davis Payne
    Favourite Davis Payne
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 11:37 AM

    @: would you trust a guy that says “it’s ok I’m on the pill.”

    30
    See 2 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Katie Gallagher
    Favourite Katie Gallagher
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 2:17 PM

    @Davis Payne: Why do we not hold men to the same standards as women? Men are not children but adults capable of doing something every day.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Babs Ruch
    Favourite Babs Ruch
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 5:55 PM

    @Rathminder: excuse me? You seriously believe that the condom is the only contraceptive for men? I can’t believe I’m reading this in our day and age. In which century do you currently reside? That might have been true 40 odd years ago when my generation was in their 20s, but certainly not now. My son is in his 30s, even HE knows better.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute dorothy giselsson
    Favourite dorothy giselsson
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 11:16 AM

    So 50% of people are caused by accident? There’s a surprise!

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Daff. Myers
    Favourite Daff. Myers
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 12:36 PM

    @dorothy giselsson: my mother had 4 of said ‘accidents’.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute lorcmulv
    Favourite lorcmulv
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 12:39 PM

    @dorothy giselsson: sorry “I slipped”

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Davis Payne
    Favourite Davis Payne
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 11:39 AM

    I can’t believe just over half of pregnancies are planned.
    I alway thought most of us were happy accidents.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mark Hannan
    Favourite Mark Hannan
    Report
    Mar 30th 2022, 1:15 PM

    What about the other 50%?

    2
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds