Madagascar Enacts Historic Family Planning Law

New law updates colonial-era policy and recognizes family planning as a human right

By Beth Schlachter, FP2020 Executive Director, and Tom Van Boven, FP2020 Manager, Francophone Countries

After years of advocacy, deliberation, and legislative fine-tuning, last month Madagascar passed its long-awaited Reproductive Health and Family Planning Law. The new legislation finally sweeps away the old colonial-era policy that prohibited any promotion of contraception, and recognizes reproductive health and family planning as basic human rights. This is a tremendous victory for the government of Madagascar, the many stakeholders and partners in the country’s family planning sector, and the Malagasy people themselves.

Madagascar joined the FP2020 partnership in 2015, and has already launched a five-year plan to strengthen and expand its family planning program. The new law brings the legal framework up to date and into alignment with the government’s commitments, and ensures that service providers will be able to operate within a clear regulatory environment.

Some of the law’s most important provisions concern young people. Madagascar has a very high adolescent pregnancy rate — one out of three girls becomes pregnant before her 18th birthday — but health providers have been uncertain about the legality of family planning services for young people. The new law clearly defines access to family planning as a guaranteed right for all individuals, regardless of age. Health care providers are required to maintain client confidentiality and respect individual choice. “Counseling and family planning services for sexually active teens, married or unmarried” is included in the basic definition of reproductive health services to be provided.

Other aspects of the law are designed to support the government’s family planning education and outreach campaigns, strengthen community-based distribution of services, build technical capacity in family planning health facilities, and improve the availability of contraceptive commodities, including emergency contraception.

It all adds up to a firm foundation for Madagascar’s family planning program — and a critical signpost of the country’s commitment to progress, health, and human rights.

Learn more about Madagascar’s family planning program here.