Reuters AlertNet Examines Reasons For Filipino Population Boom, Lack Of Funding For Family Planning Programs

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 01 Aug 2006 - 6:00 PDT

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Reuters AlertNet on Wednesday examined birth control use in the Philippines. About two million infants are born annually in the country, and the rapidly increasing population, which is currently at 85 million and expected by 2040 to increase to 142 million people, often is blamed on the Roman Catholic Church, which opposes birth control, because many of the country's residents are Catholic, Reuters AlertNet reports. However, a government survey says that out of about 51% of married women who do not use family planning, only 2.4% of them said their reason for not using birth control is due to religious beliefs. The primary reasons women avoid birth control is fear of side effects -- including their husbands' negative reactions to wearing condoms or the women's discomfort with using intrauterine devices and taking pills. In addition, poor education and a lack of access to family planning and prevention methods contribute to low birth control use, Reuters AlertNet reports. Some experts say the Catholic Church pressures the Filipino government into not supplying birth control to residents. Eden Divinagracia, executive director of the Philippine nongovernmental organization council on population, health and wealth, said the country's current administration is not "supportive of family planning," adding, "[President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo] is playing safe." As a result, "poor Filipinos ... must rely on foreign donors for contraceptives," according to Reuters AlertNet. For the past 30 years, USAID has been the largest provider of contraceptives in the Philippines but recently has cut funding from programs that supply condoms to people and plans to phase out the rest of its contraceptive grant money within the next two years, Reuters AlertNet reports. The agency, which did not return calls for comment, has said its plan to cease financing the programs is part of the country's goal of becoming self-reliant in sustaining family planning services, according to Reuters AlertNet. However, Zahidul Huque, of the U.N. Population Fund, said USAID is "pulling out without preparing the country." According to Reuters AlertNet, not-for-profit organizations and local medical professionals are "trying to fill the gap" in the absence of government funding for such programs (Crimmins, Reuters AlertNet, 7/27).

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