The Origins and Evolution of Family Planning Programs in Developing Countries
Abstract
Family planning programs exist in virtually every nation. As of 1998, 179 countries with 99 percent of the world's population had some form of family planning program. Despite their pervasiveness, family planning programs have caused controversy and drawn criticism from a variety of perspectives, primarily for two reasons. First, they deal with a sensitive subject: birth control. Public discussion of the issue was taboo for many years and continues to evoke strong reactions from some quarters. Adding to this sensitivity, the emotionally charged debate over abortion has at times spilled over into the discussion of family planning. Second, concern about the negative effects of rapid population growth and high fertility in the developing world spawned a political advocacy movement that promoted particular public policies, family planning among them. While this movement enjoyed considerable support in both developing and donor nations, it also generated political opposition and raised questions among some social scientists and others. This report examines the origins and evolution of family planning programs in the context of the major criticisms and controversies surrounding them. It also explores how programs have responded to these criticisms and assesses the validity of these criticisms as reflected in the research literature. Although some of the criticisms are based on ideological perspectives that scientific research does little to illuminate, simply describing these perspectives should be useful.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA401494
Entities
People
- Judith R. Seltzer
Organizations
- RAND Corporation