What Are “Family Planning Services?”

If you haven’t heard of the term “family planning services” before you might think it’s when someone sits down with a family and helps them plan out their activities for the year ahead. And while it is kind of like that, there’s more to it that you might want to know!

The World Health Organization (WHO) says family planning is defined as “the ability of individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births.” This is definitely some fancy language, but broadly speaking, family planning refers to when a medical provider helps individuals and/or couples have control over their futures.

For example: let’s say a couple that already has children knows they do want to have another baby, but they don’t want to do it until they live in a bigger house. In this instance, a medical provider can help them find a method of birth control to use until they feel like the timing is better for them (when they have more space for their family). Similarly, a medical provider can also support couples that don’t want to have kids (and never wants to) in that choice.

The providers at The Right Time health centers believe everyone should be able to make their own plans, on their own schedule, and on their own terms. That’s why they offer free or low-cost access to all methods of birth control — to empower you to pursue the future you want. So, whatever you want to do, and whatever goals you want to achieve in your life, rest assured that family planning services and other resources are available at your nearest The Right Time health center to help you make them happen.