Covid’s 7m unwanted pregnancies

The UN has warned of a boom in unintended pregnancies during the coronavirus pandemic as millions of women are cut off from family planning services.

The UN has warned of a boom in unintended pregnancies during the coronavirus pandemic as millions of women are cut off from family planning services.

Evidence that women have lost access to contraceptives has emerged in field reports and studies in Europe, Asia and the Americas, according to the UN Population Fund.

In April, the agency predicted seven million unwanted pregnancies and initial studies have suggested that its forecast was accurate.

“The picture isn’t great,” said Jennie Greaney, a tech­nical specialist at the agency.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, 13 million women and girls may have lost access to contraceptives and the effect of the pandemic could wipe out “progress we have made in the last 30 years in terms of family planning”, she said.

In Africa, Marie Stopes International, a contraceptive health charity, reported that it had 1.8 million fewer clients between­ March and June, Ms Greaney said.

In The Philippines, un­intended pregnancies are expected to rise by half if restrictions on movement stay in place for the rest of the year.

“If you are a teenage girl who is pregnant now because you couldn’t get access to contraception, a lot of your dreams are lost,” Ms Greaney said.

The Times