Medical studies have revealed that family planning is an essential component of health strategies. Women who bear children too early or too late in life, women who bear too many children, and those who bear children too close together, put themselves and their children in danger. Reproduction-related risks would be minimized if: 1) women did not bear children before reaching the age of 18-20, 2) births were spaced at least 2 years apart, 3) no woman had more than 4 children, 4) women did not bear children after age 35, and 5) people who have completed their families minimized contraceptive related risks by choosing sterilization. If individuals would follow the safest reproductive pattern, the national birthrate and the population growth rate would drop considerably in many countries. Governments can undertake this task of educating people about the health benefits of family planning and assure that contraceptive alternatives and legal abortions are available.