This document explores risks to the health and lives of women and children that can be avoided or reduced by family planning. Emphasis throughout is on case studies and statistics from developing nations. Data are presented in expository and chart form. Information is presented in four chapters. Chapter I, Child Health and Family Planning, identifies factors which influence a child's chances of being born healthy, including number of children in a family, spacing between birthdates of children, and age of mother when each child is born. Chapter II, Women's Health and Family Planning, focuses on complications of pregnancy and childbirth among women in developing countries. Problems include the predilection of women to resort to dangerous illegal abortions when effective means of contraception are unavailable; death due to preganancy (40-180 women in most developing nations died for every 100,000 children born in the mid-1970's); and ill health due to too many pregnancies. Chapter III, Family Planning in Developing Countries, discusses various methods of contraception and pinpoints areas of unmet need for family planning services. Specific problems include widespread use of inefficient methods of contraception, difficult access to contraceptive supplies, lack of information, and expense of traveling to a family planning site. The final chapter offers conclusions. A major conclusion is that family planning makes a substantial contribution to maternal health by making it possible for women to avoid high-risk pregnancies. The suggestion is offered that international organizations and governments of developed nations cooperate with health ministries in developing nations to develop family planning programs to meet each nation's needs. (DB)