In this planet filled with people, they didn't care about the Earth's Population. You planned a plan. You planned where are you going for tomorrow, what you're gonna eat later, what clothes you will wear because you have a meet-up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, and lastly, you and your friends are planning again for your next bonding but we all know that this will be postponed. So many plans but have you planned something for your future? Do you want to have a child when you have a companion and a sustainable life? How many children you want, or do you even want one? If so, did you plan the intervals between their births?
Family Planning. Two words, five syllables, and fourteen letters only but it has a great impact when it comes to our population. Family Planning is defined by Aventus Medical Care as the practice of controlling the number of children in a family and the intervals between their births. (2017) In line with that, Late Ex. Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago enacted a law about family planning. The Republic act. No. 10354 or also known as "Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health of 2012" aims to reduce the numbers of unwanted pregnancies. In the study conducted by Finer and Hussain shows that 37% of all births are either not wanted at the time of pregnancy or entirely unwanted. (2013) This unintended pregnancies contribute to the world’s population causing it to grow rapidly. Similarly, due to lack of knowledge in Family planning, unwanted pregnancies occured. According to John Bongaarts, a reputable demographer in Netherlands, the world’s population is expected to reach 14.6 billion in the year 2100. His paper has completely contrasted the World Bank’s postulates that suggests that the popoulation will be 10 billion only. (1990)
In addition, the growth of the population has a significant effect in our ecosystem. For instance, a small archipelagic country (Philippines) inhabited by 111 million people. Although Philippines is known for its vast sources of foods and habitat, there will be a long term consequences. In the long run, the said country won't be able to cater hundred's of thousands of people. Allocating raw materials across the country will be difficult. By this reason, it will caused environmental problems such as deforestation, illegal mining and logging, urbanization of rural areas, and etc.. Why is this so? Because of the lack of the needs of the people, they will search for other resources. This will result to people cutting trees, mining precious stones, and other scenario that can cause landslides, floods, and typhoons. As claimed by the World Population Balance, inspite on the modernization of technology in the recent years, the world's population still outnumbered the non-renewable and renewable resources. They imply that the neglection of family planning may develop a problem regarding political instability, freedom, species, ecosystem destruction, desertifications, wide urbanization, basic needs shortages, and the crime rate.
On the other hand, aside from the given environmental problems, utilizing family planning will reduce the incidence of hereditary diseases such as mental retardation, psychotic tendencies, blood disorders and etc. This will not only benefit the family but also decrease the country’s mortality rate. To avoid those circumstances, the Population Reference Bureau or PRB argued that women will be happier and have more equitable opportunities to pursue an education, a job, and financial stability as a result of family planning. Families can accumulate more assets and invest more in their children's health and well-being with less children to support. The connection between smaller families and greater wealth emphasizes the importance of continuing to invest in family planning and maternal and child health services as a means of reducing poverty. (2010) The PRB pointed out the significant effect of Family Planning will help them to gain proper education, decent job, and financial stability. Stable life will benefit the child to have more priority to child’s health.
Moreover, the Department of Health launched various programs tackling about Family Planning. They offer lectures about the correct way of building a family, and the ways to avoid unintended pregancies. The DOH teamed up with some private sectors to teach people about contraceptives and their uses. Condom, contraceptive pill, intrauterine device, birth control implant, and vaginal ring are examples of contraceptions. Planet Parenthood suggests that these contraceptives has a 90-100% effectiveness. In the study conducted by Arevalo and his colleagues in 2004, other than the conventional way of birth control, a Twoday method can also be utilize. Users avoid unprotected intercourse on days when cervical secretions are present on that day or on the day before, to prevent pregancy. In their analization, Four hundred fifty women are subjected in the research coming from three different countries (Guatemala, Peru, and Philippines) in ages 18-39 years old. The result of the study proves its efficacy. Only 3.5 percent has been recorded to be pregnant different from the previous year of 6.0 percent of pregancy rate. The rate of the effectiveness rate of the said method is promising. It can surely reduce the rate of the population. Although this may be a little step, a micro efforts will always result to a macro effect.
We have modestly named ourselves as homo sapiens" meaning "wise men." But is man really so wise? Smart? Yes, and it's good to be smart, but not too smart for your own good. It takes real planning to solve this chaotic event. Although statistics above has revealed the adverse effects of the over population due to lack of knowledge about family planning, the decision we will make is still up to us. We have free will to choose. Make a good plan, or the plan will do its work.
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