A Shared Vision for the Future of Family Planning in LAC
By Laura Ramos Tomás, part of the Habla LAC Series
Habla LAC contributors were aligned on the future of family planning for the region, being one where the focus is not fertility control, and instead bodily autonomy and freedom of choice are centered as manifestations of reproductive justice.
Many called for a shift toward more holistic, rights-based approaches through policies that center the lived experiences of youth, women, and the LGBTQ+ community; that more proactively engage men; that recognize the intersections of race, territory, and inequity; and that are co-created with communities rather than imposed upon them.
Marta Royo, of Profamilia Colombia, captured this spirit by calling for a new paradigm: “The future of Latin America must focus on reproductive autonomy, beyond planning around the family... Public policies must shift from approaches centered on birth rates toward perspectives of reproductive autonomy, with people participating in their design, implementation, and evaluation.”
Magdymar León, of Asociación Venezolana para una Educación Sexual Alternativa (AVESA) in Venezuela, was aligned in this vision, and stressed the importance of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) to enable youth participation in policy and implementation processes:
“Adolescents and youth must be placed at the center, as rights-holders and not merely ‘at-risk groups.’ This includes providing Comprehensive Sexuality Education with a gender, pleasure, and consent perspective; offering youth-friendly services without judgment or access barriers; and encouraging youth participation in the design of policies and programs.”
Kobe Smith, from the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), underscored the need to reframe family planning as part of a broader struggle for justice and systemic change:
“I envision a region where family planning is not reduced to a medical service, but understood as a human right, deeply linked to gender justice, economic empowerment, and social transformation.”
From Brazil, Paula Guimarães, of Portal Catarinas, expanded on this, offering a vision rooted in reproductive justice and intersectionality. She called for a future that centers dignity, care, and the pluralities of body and identity:
“The family planning of the future must be trans-inclusive, anti-racist, and centered on human rights, recognizing that all people — regardless of their gender identity — have the right to decide whether or not they want to have children, how, when, and with whom.”
Andrea Lourdes Lopez Veliz, of Fundación Oxlajuj N’oj in Guatemala, expanded on what it means for services in the region to be truly inclusive, describing “a future in which Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and rural communities have culturally relevant services, in their own languages, respectful of their worldviews, and with real participation in their design.”
At the same time, several contributors underscored the need to overcome cultural and institutional barriers, including religious influence on public policy. As Miguel Ángel López López, of MásQueTresLetras in Colombia, put it:“We must overcome the barrier posed by religion so that the rights we’ve already won become a reality, not just articles on paper.
Collectively, these visions point to a future where family planning has moved beyond avoiding pregnancy, and supports people in building the lives they choose, with the tools, education, and care they need to do so safely and with dignity.