Rifat Zafreen :
Family planning is the key to population control where family planning is a vital reproductive health resource. Fear of death, family violence, pain, poverty and resignation, lack of proper health information and services are directly related to hamper family planning and so population control. Family planning needs investment from different dimentions.
Data on women’s reproductive health, maternal death and morbidity are also needed to plan population control. Preventing pregnancy for population control was counted as a better way to prevent maternal deaths than providing obstetric services during 1970s and 80s. Sexually transmitted infections in females and induced abortion were the issues people refused to deal with, that they preferred abortion to be used as a means of birth control though abortion is always unsafe and fatal for women. This willing abortion or forced, both can be counted as human rights issue, that is violated through abortion. Lack of services in doing abortion properly also obstructs human rights for women, where abortion has been legalized in 1972 for pregnancies upto 10 weeks. Although abortion services are now more widely available in urban areas, low-income urban women are still under threat of unsafe procedures in this case which violates their human rights.
In 1970s many countries in Asia had strong population control programmes that provided family planning services. Use of contraceptive was essential and desired service for population control. This is still the most preserved one where there needs quality service as it is directly linked to human rights issue.
Other than contraceptive choices there were very limited ways and services to control population, yet women were blamed for not wanting to use them. Worldwide more or less there is pressure on women regarding this. In Indonesia, contraceptive services were often delivered to villages by the military. They were given no choice in contraception related matters while they were not offered support or information on dealing with its side effects or guidance in choosing alternative methods. But gradually during late 1980s feminist revolution started differing from the high income countries where the same revolution started in 1960s and 1970s. This movement in the developing countries had its roots in the fight for having broader social justice. The motto of the revolution was to get free from the status where women were treated as human beings with sexual and reproductive rights. The far-reaching goal of the movement wants to achieve assurance of having gender equity which would finally ensure women empowerment. This right directly is related to the right of the women whether they would abort or not to control population as it is a question of human rights. Protecting this right would ensure achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment and so human rights.
The United Nations International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994 changed governments’ approaches to population and development. Good quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services including contraception, safe abortion, maternity care and diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, sexuality education, directly related to population control have been considered on the issues of human rights. For women, better access to health services is the issue of human rights and so population control directly or indirectly. The idea of ‘Reproductive health and justice: the Rio statement developed at a meeting in Rio was later adopted by 179 governments at the Cairo conference in 1994.
There are examples of countries that changed their national policy to reflect rights based approach to reproductive health. Bangladesh also had a very strong family planning programme in place since the early 1970s, which has been made stronger later.
Programmes were initiated for prevention of sexually transmitted infections including HIV, reproductive health education for young people and contraceptive information for newlyweds. Five years after the new National Health and Population Programme started in 1998, maternal deaths had fallen by nearly 25%. By 2008, they were down 40%.
Demand from the countries can bring change in the countries regarding integrated sexual and reproductive health services, comprehensive sexuality education and protection of sexual and reproductive rights. There is major political and practical challenges to make everyone from researchers to advocates understand that way of controlling population in a family should depend on the will of women and they are the most vulnerable in this case. It is our responsibility to protect their sexual and reproductive rights and so their human rights.
At global level there prevails strong commitment on protection women’s health. UN also has declared important initiatives and revised strategic plan for women’s health, which focuses light on achieving women’s right also. This is related to population control and having future quality population. Under this plan issues of integrated sexual and reproductive health services, as well as adolescent health and development reinforced by promotion of gender equality and human rights have been taken which would ensure human rights in controlling population.
In order to implement all the policies, politicians need to act selflessly along with all the concerned ones. Health professionals need to be more supportive and educated about sexual and reproductive rights. Health services approach will help achieve the goal of human rights in this case and in controlling population.
We have to follow the highly experienced and effective policy makers and programme managers who have made progress in this regard. We can even think of investing local and international advocates inorder to persuade those with power and resources to transform their words and assurances into action.
It cannot be denied that issue of population control is the issue of human rights and it is strongly true for women from their perspective.
(PID- Project Feature)
