Famine and Family Planning

By Contributor | August 9, 2011

UNFPA director Dr. Babtunde Osotimehin was recently interviewed by Reuters on the crises affecting the Horn of Africa, where drought, famine, and continuous armed conflict has ravaged the population, causing the death of tens of thousands and leaving millions hungry.

“While stressing the root cause of the crisis was the recent rain failures, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin said it highlighted the plight of those living in parts of the world where the land struggles to support human life.

“We need to improve food production … and to work with member states to ensure women and particularly young girls have access to education, including sexual education, and access to health services and reproductive health services including family planning,” Osotimehin told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“Osotimehin said the extra funds needed to extend family planning across the poor world totalled $3.6 billion… ‘The overseas development aid cake is fixed,’ he noted. ‘You have to make your case in the most compelling manner to make sure you get (a) slice of the cake.’

Amid the dust, starvation, and human suffering in a country all but forsaken by its government, it seems absurd to beg for billions for contraceptive provision. Preventing the birth of a human being does not solve the problems that affect those who are alive presently; however, it does appear as a quick fix for those who may ultimately see populations more as numbers to control than people to be cared for.

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