Kenya Satchell
March 25,2009
5:37 P.M.
Health experts in Pakistan are now concentrating on getting women from all strata of society to space births. ''Birth spacing gives the woman time and opportunity to recover from the nutritional deficiency caused by repeated pregnancies. Studies show that short birth intervals of less than 24 months increase the risk of neonatal mortality,’’ says Dr. Sadiqua Jafarey, president of the National Committee for Maternal and Neonatal Health. Dr. Rehana Ahmed, an internationally-known consultant thinks education and correct family planning or FP information should be widely available so that all pregnancies are planned and no one has to resort to abortion. Pakistan’s maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is estimated to be 276 per 100,000 births! Over the years the Pakistan government, too, has realized that FP messages need to be changed from “two children are better” to “spacing is necessary.” According to the most recent Pakistan demographic and health survey 2006-07, carried out by the National Institute of Population Studies, around 20 percent of women in Pakistan want to space their pregnancies. Pakistan saw a surge in contraceptive use in the 1980s and 1990s, but it has peaked in recent years. Twelve percent of couples used contraceptives in 1990-91. This increased to 28 percent in 2000-01, and has since remained at around 30 percent. Major hurdles towards promoting birth spacing include social norms such as “son preference” and fear of using modern contraceptives, so often the girl has to prove that she is fertile.
I think having to prove you are fertile is a bit much, and I’m glad I live in the US where such things aren’t made so extreme. I think family planning is needed everywhere and it’s a good thing that these women and/or families in Pakistan are realizing having all of these children back to back is only harming them and the place they live in. I wish women, especially those who can’t afford it here in the US, would understand the positive effects of spacing out a pregnancy. I see so many mothers with a newborn in a carrier and another baby in the belly, but they can’t afford to even put gas in their cars! I understand mistakes happen, but any mistake after mistake number one is a bit much. That’s definitely where contraceptives should kick in.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46263
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