Abortion, Family Planning, and Population Policy

Prospects for the Common-Ground Approach

Bibliographic Data

ID4121744
AuthorsDennis Hodgson (Fairfield University, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume35
Issue3
Pages479-518
Publication date2009-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePopulation and Development Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0098-7921 • E-ISSN: 1728-4457
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1728-4457.2009.00294.x
OpenAlexW2017800091
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited61

For the past several decades those engaged in shaping the Program of Action documents at international conferences on population have muted their voices when the topic of abortion has been raised. In a desire to side-step entanglement in a bitter debate over the morality of abortion, great care has been taken to define "family planning" in ways that explicitly exclude abortion. The "common-ground" approach to treating abortion can be summarized in two directives found in all contemporary international population documents: "in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning"; and all governments should work "to reduce the recourse to abortion through expanded and improved family-planning services." This article has three goals: first, to examine the appropriateness of these directives with respect to what is currently known about the relationship between abortion, family planning, and population policy; second, to trace how this "contraception-only" definition of family planning became de rigueur at international population conferences; and third, to discuss the prospects for the emergence of a more appropriate "common-ground" approach to abortion and population policy

Abortion · Abortion law · Economic growth · Economics · Family planning · Family planning policy · Political science · Population · Pregnancy · Research methodology · Sociology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Reproductive Health and Contraception · Reproductive Health and Technologies

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