The UN said that almost half of pregnancies in the world are accidental

Almost half of the pregnancies that occur each year in the world are accidental, according to a study published Wednesday by the United Nations, which calls for investment in sex education and contraceptive methods to respond to this “invisible crisis”.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations agency for sexual and reproductive health, estimates that there are 121 million involuntary pregnancies globally annually, with a particularly high number in developing countries.

Of these unintended pregnancies, more than 60 percent end up in abortions, which in many cases are not carried out safely, accounting for between 5 and 13 percent of total maternal deaths, the report said.

Although the number of accidental pregnancies has declined over the past two decades, UNFPA stresses that the rate remains very high and that the percentage of abortions has increased.

According to the agency, the main causes of this problem are the lack of sexual and reproductive education and care, contraceptive options that are not well adapted to the needs of many women, stigmas present in many societies, sexual violence and poverty, among others.

Above all of this, UNFPA argues, overcomes the problem of gender inequality, both a cause and a consequence of unwanted pregnancies, which have a major impact on education and opportunities for progress for millions of women.

“For affected women, the most important reproductive decision, whether or not to become pregnant, is not a choice,” the agency's executive director, Natalia Kanem, told reporters.

According to UN estimates, some 257 million women worldwide who do not want to become pregnant are not using modern methods of contraception and up to 25 percent of all women do not have the capacity to refuse sex.

These problems are especially serious in the case of adolescent girls, who do not know their bodies and who are very often forced or pressured to maintain relationships, often being condemned to a life of poverty when they have to leave their studies, Kanem said.

UNFPA also highlights how unintended pregnancies skyrocket in conflict situations, where women lose access to contraception and cases of sexual violence increase.

According to estimates by the agency, for example, the situation in Afghanistan is estimated to result in some 4.8 million accidental pregnancies by 2025.

UNFPA drew attention to the risk to Ukrainian women, who were massively displaced by the war, recalling that studies based on other crises ensure that up to 20 per cent of refugee women are victims of sexual violence.

To tackle the crisis of unwanted pregnancies, the UN believes that the most important thing is to strengthen resources in the area of sexual and reproductive education and access to modern contraceptives.

In this regard, the main person responsible for the report, Gilda Sedgh, stressed that the problem is a social issue and can never be reduced “to a question of individual responsibility or irresponsibility” of women.

(With information from EFE)

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