Right to contraception: how far achieved and what to be blamed for the unmet need in South Asia?

This study assesses the dynamics of met and unmet need for contraception and, its program as well as policy implications in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal; from rights perspective. Data of currently married women aged 15-49 years from the latest round of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of each country was used; sample sizes were 93089 for India, 10192 for Bangladesh, 9556 for Pakistan, and 9608 for Nepal. IBM-SPSS software (Version 19.0) was used for bivariate and multi-variate analyses with a significance level of 5%.

Analyses indicate considerable intra-country differences in contraceptive use, demand, met as well as unmet need, and the determinants. High unmet need often influenced by various policy and program issues, questions the quality of care. Across countries, higher health care autonomy was linearly associated with unmet need for spacing but had an inverse association with unmet need for limiting. Expanding the outreach of family planning promotion campaigns, programs enhancing health care decision making of women, and quality service delivery; all with country specific modifications are pertinent. Informed choice and access to quality services are reproductive rights of every woman, and if addressed, would facilitate better sexual and reproductive health of women in South Asia.