The value of grouping what at first sight might seem a rather diverse list of research areas is considerable. First, there are commonalities not just of demographic interest but of methodological approach. More specifically there are important interactions between the items on our list. An obvious one is between contraceptive use and induced abortion, since more of one generally means less of the other. Important work remains to be done not so much by focusing on particular research paradigms or ethical positions but by exploiting demography's methodologies and its considerable store of practical knowledge and experience, possibly drawing on other methodologies and paradigms as appropriate.
Important gains are likely to flow from collaboration between committees.
Each of the topics listed earlier requires empirical demographic investigation, preferably in combination with one another. There is a need for a concentrated programme of analysis of what can be gleaned from DHS surveys, with particular attention paid to countries that have had repeated surveys, in order to track trends in prevalence of use and, if possible, in the incidence of failures and side effects. There is a clear link here with the work of the new Emerging Health Threats Committee. Eastern Europe has long suffered a crisis of unavailability of modern contraception and of reliance on induced abortion. The financial and political turmoil of the 1990s has exacerbated this situation, and in addition STDs are now on the rise.