Denial of contraceptive care: A deep-rooted problem in Europe and Central Asia
Across Europe and Central Asia, women are being denied control over their sexual and reproductive lives as a result of hostile chauvinist policies, gender inequality and social oppression.
Many governments are not doing enough to ensure that women and girls have true access to contraceptive care, and it is the poorest and most marginalised who bear the brunt of this neglect. Too often, contraception is the privilege of the few, and women from low-income backgrounds are five times more likely to be forced into pregnancy through denial of care.
In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the level of modern contraceptive use (meaning all non-emergency, reversible methods) is alarmingly low. And overall in Europe, 35% of pregnancies are unintended, a result of denial of contraceptive care and of governments refusing to ensure sex and relationships education for all young people.
Young people are also being let down by health care systems in which they face institutionalised stigma and discrimination when seeking contraception.
IPPF EN is working across Europe and Central Asia to break through these barriers. We are fighting to redefine contraceptive care as a policy priority and to offer stigma-free care to all, especially to those who are most in need.
When vulnerable communities, volunteers and professionals unite for reproductive freedom, they are a powerful force for change. Our short film features five stories that show how IPPF members in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia are supporting the lifelong reproductive health and safety of Roma girls, women and young people, working on the multiple fronts necessary to improve access and uptake of quality family planning and maternal health care.
Where do we stand with contraceptive care worldwide
We can decide as a society to act together for the health of all of us. All people, regardless of where we live or of how much money we have in our wallet, deserve to be able to make the best healthcare choices for ourselves and our families.
IPPF EN, together with the Countdown 2030 Europe Consortium, seeks to increase European SRHR funding in international cooperation and strengthen political support for sexual and reproductive freedom worldwide.
We believe it is crucial to hold governments accountable for the funding and policy promises they made to protect the sexual and reproductive freedom of people across the globe.
Thus, one of our core activities is to collect financial data on Countdown 2030 Europe country governments’ Official Development Assistance (ODA) for SRHR/FP. Based on the latest data collected, we develop trends analyses for Europe and each of the individual European donor countries on support for SRHR/FP.
Read below our trends analysis of European donor government support to SRHR, including contraceptive care.