Whither women's reproductive health in Asia Pacific
SHOBHA SHUKLA - CNS
Population and Community Development Association run centre in Chiang Mai, Thailand
(Image by CNS) Details DMCA
While the world has made many advancements in healthcare, millions of women and girls in low- and low-middle income countries are still far away from having bodily autonomy and are not able to make informed decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health. Even in countries like Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, or Thailand where total fertility rate is relatively low, despite such commendable progress, there are challenges yet to be overcome.
Progress on women's health but challenges remain
Data from the FP2030 Measurement Report 2022 does offer some consolation by way of more than 141 million unintended pregnancies, 29 million unsafe abortions, and nearly 148,000 maternal deaths being averted in countries of Asia Pacific during 2021-2022 due to an increase in the number of women using modern contraceptive methods.
However, there are an estimated 140 million women in the Asia Pacific region who still lack access to modern methods of contraception, despite wanting to avoid or delay pregnancy. Over 60% of unintended pregnancies end in abortion and an estimated 45% of all abortions are unsafe, accounting for upto 13% of all maternal deaths recorded, as per the State of World Population 2022 report. Maternal mortality in Asia Pacific region is high, with 10 women dying every hour in pregnancy and childbirth. Harmful practices such as child marriage and preference of having a son, still abound.
CNS spoke with some leaders from the field of obstetrics and gynaecology in the Asia Pacific region on the status of women's reproductive health in their countries.
Taiwan
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