Few Women In War-Torn Lands Have Access To Contraceptives

This article from the ‘Medical News Today’, 21 Jul 2011 quotes a new study on the alarming gap between the desire of women in war-torn areas to limit their childbearing and the availability of resources and knowledge to enable them to do so. The study from Dr. McGinn and her co-authors from the Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health shows that violent conflict disrupts all aspects of society, including the delivery of the most basic reproductive health services: prenatal and maternal care, family planning, prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, abortions and emergency caesarian care. Statistics show that the situation leads to high levels of unintended pregnancy among women already contending with the stress of violence and, in many cases, displacement.