Women’s advocate and healthcare company Organon commemorates World Contraception Day last September 26, 2022, by launching the program Act with Her to help tackle the global crisis of unintended pregnancies. The multi-faceted initiative also aims to improve access to family planning information and resources by supporting women and their communities to take action.

Nearly half of pregnancies worldwide—about 121 million in total—are unintended. Additionally, an estimated 162.9 million women around the world have an unmet need related to contraception access.

“Studies have shown that contraceptives and family planning initiatives help educate and empower women and female adolescents to make safe and informed decisions about their health and future. Here in the Philippines, there have been gains in women’s health and rights in recent years in terms of access to modern birth control methods. But it also needs to be stated that contraceptive healthcare services and products continue to be out of reach among so many, especially amid the pandemic,” explains Emman Tiglao, Organon Commercial Director in the Philippines.

Central to the Act with Her initiative is a published roadmap demonstrating how Organon is taking action and exploring new ideas to prevent unintended pregnancies globally by providing 100 million girls and women in low- and middle-income countries with affordable access to contraceptive options.

Disrupted Family Planning

Lives all around the world were upended when COVID-19 struck but it should be pointed out that women and adolescent girls suffered heightened direct and indirect distress from unwanted and unsupportable pregnancy during the global outbreak, according to United Nations experts.

The spread of coronavirus and lockdown measures brought about healthcare service disruptions, supply chain challenges, financial struggles, and an increased risk in gender-based violence, including sexual violence. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFP) reports that many millions of women may have lost access to contraception just a year into the pandemic, resulting in unintended pregnancies across 115 low and middle income countries. These, on top of already existing constraints such as lack of access to contraception education, pervasive myths, and limiting/harmful gender stereotypes, escalate the risks of maternal and infant mortality.

In the Philippines, the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) reports that despite pandemic-related challenges, more than 8 million Filipinos used modern contraceptives in 2020, representing a 6% increase from 2019. This can be attributed to progress made by the health department’s family planning program, including house-to-house delivery of birth control by local government units to quarantined families in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. But the PopCom also said that many families may have experienced contraceptive discontinuation due to limited access to services during the prolonged pandemic.

The reproductive health situation is indeed complex. In an earlier report, the commission revealed a 13% drop in births among women under 20 years old in 2020, representing the sharpest decline in that category since 2003. But the problem of teenage pregnancy continues to persist given that the figures still show that tens of thousands of young girls and women gave birth in 2020.

Moreover, the number of Filipino women of reproductive age (15-49) rose from 26 million in 2015 to 27.8 million in 2020, and at least 9 million of these women will require family planning services, based on data released by PopCom.

The bright spot is that there is opportunity in every crisis. “Education and timely delivery of healthcare products are some of the ways by which we can continue to relieve families still struggling with freedom of choice and access to contraception,” Carole Lopez, Organon Market Access, Communications Lead says. “Making access more equitable should remain a priority if we are to win the fight against generational poverty and to genuinely empower women, whatever stage they are in.”

Freedom and Choice in Healthcare

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development states that governments must ensure “universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.”

“Not only is contraception an effective and affordable option for birth spacing, but it also allows women to have pleasurable and safe sexual experiences without fear of unplanned or untimely pregnancies,” says Lopez. “When women and their partners are supported in their reproductive rights, we help lower the risks and complications that lead to poor maternal and child health, and even unsafe abortions that could end in death. Remember that these adverse social, health, and economic circumstances can be mitigated through access to safe and modern contraceptives.”

The following are some of the methods available in the Philippines based on the specific person’s need: hormonal contraception that includes contraceptive implants, injection, skin patches, and birth control pills; barrier contraceptives such as male condoms and diaphragms; intrauterine devices (IUDs); fertility awareness methods like basal body temperature and cervical mucus tracking; lactational amenorrhea method for those who recently gave birth and are breastfeeding; and under permanent contraception are tubal ligation and vasectomy.

Women and a Better World

As a multibillion-dollar global pharmaceutical company that was established in the middle of the COVID-19 health crisis, Organon’s commitment is to deliver a healthier everyday for women by providing impactful medicines and solutions across a range of therapeutic areas that include reproductive health.

Act with Her focuses on five key pillars, including Act with Purpose which continues to infuse the company’s vision across its business; Act with Advocates to work together with advocacy organizations, governments, NGOs and policy makers; Act through Education to advance education on family planning; Act for Impact to support family planning efforts in underserved, high-burden communities and address gender-related health disparities to maximize impact where it is needed most; and Act with Youth to create a sustainable future for adolescents and young women, supporting them to feel empowered to take control of their sexual and reproductive health and improving access to education and care in their communities.

Driven by the core principle, “Her promise is our purpose,” Organon in the Philippines has been partnering with the national and local governments in helping maintain positive health outcomes among women, notwithstanding the ongoing pandemic.

“We urge individuals, netizens, policymakers, advocates, and community leaders to participate in this very important conversation, and join us to Act with Her. Much remains to be done if we want to positively honor women and their foundational role in society,” says Tiglao.

He reflects on a world that truly values sexual and reproductive health: “By working to unblock impediments to women’s freedom and choice, adolescents have a higher chance of attaining education and good job prospects, the dignity of mothers are preserved whether they are working or staying at home, and families, whatever their status in life, have a better chance to succeed. At the macro level, national economic and health systems become strengthened when the wellbeing of women are supported with adequate funding. It’s a formidable task that entails collaboration but the effects are meaningful, manifold, and far-reaching. It will change the planet for the better.”

ADVT.

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