choose freely the number and spacing of their children.

The government also aims to ensure that family planning, medical, health, and other social services for reproductive health are effective in preventing unintended pregnancies and minimizing the health risks posed by such pregnancies. Similar assistance is extended to persons with infertility problems. The intention is to help individuals and couples meet their desired quantity and quality of children.

Unmet need for family planning has become an operational guide in the design of population management activities. An understanding of the causes of unmet need is helpful in determining appropriate government intervention measures.This chapter discusses first the extent of unmet need in the Philippines, mainly using findings from demographic surveys, namely, the National Demographic Survey (NDS), National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), and the Family PlanningSurvey (FPS) of the National Statistics Office (NSO). Indicators of unmet need vary. The ones used here are contraceptive use, unintended pregnancies and induced abortions.

Findings from small surveys are cited in cases where national survey data are not available. Recognizing that women and their needs and welfare are central to the issue at hand, this chapter also presents a perspective on unmet need based on gender relations.