Abstract
In a meeting last week on the future of women's and children's health, one respected public health scientist warned about the population doubling time in Africa. She estimated it to be around 20 years. (In fact, according to the UN Population Division, the population doubling time for sub-Saharan Africa is about 35 years. Still, her general point remains valid.) She argued that many of the gains in children's health won over the past decade would be lost if this scenario of dramatic population expansion came to pass. Her view is widely held in the health community. And our solution—rapid scale-up of family planning services—has received endorsement and support from experts and donors alike. Family Planning 2020 is a movement to provide contraceptive services to an additional 120 million women worldwide. This momentum around family planning is welcome, especially if the definition of family planning covers a full range of reproductive health services. But is access to contraception really the answer to Africa's—the world's—demographic challenge? This simplistic technical approach illustrates so much of what is wrong with global health today.
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