UN: COVID-19 pandemic leads to 1.4 million unwanted pregnancies

The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented an estimated 12 million women worldwide from accessing birth control, resulting in 1.4 million unwanted pregnancies, the United Nations Population Fund reported.

According to Globalcitizen.org, the report says women were unable to access birth control in 2020 because travel restrictions due to the pandemic forced them to use their resources in other ways. The data collected by the agency showed that women used family planning services, in particular, in April and May last year, relatively early during the pandemic.

The devastating impact COVID-19 has had on the lives of millions of women and young women over the past year underscores how vital it is to ensure the continuity of reproductive health services.