Country Analysis of Family Planning and HIV/AIDS: Ethiopia Yared Mekonnen, Sarah Bradley, Morrisa Malkin, and Karen Hardee (February 2005)  Full Document (English)      Order for free      email to me  This study is an investigation into the status and trends of family planning (FP) and reproductive health (RH) programs within the context of Ethiopia’s heightening HIV/AIDS epidemic. By helping individuals and couples control the number and timing of pregnancies, family planning provides far-reaching benefits (Dayaratna et al., 2000). In addition, by reducing unintended and high-risk pregnancies, family planning can lower the instances of maternal and child injury, illness, and death associated with childbirth and unsafe abortions (Shane, 1997). Ethiopia has not been able to expand FP services to satisfy the increasing unmet need in the country, and its maternal mortality ratio (MMR) ranks as one of the world’s highest. At the same time, Ethiopia is among the countries that have been hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The findings of this study are expected to inform policy and program managers about the various dimensions of HIV/AIDS and family planning in Ethiopia.