Contraceptive Use Increases in South Asia, but Much Remains Unfinished
Recently the Thomas Reuters Foundation released new statistics revealing that contraceptive usage has increased in South Asia by 47% since 2012. Many developing countries are making inroads in promoting family planning and contraceptive use. But there could still be areas of improvement. According to the World Bank, South Asia “still accounts for the second highest burden of maternal deaths.” India, Pakistan and the Philippines are among the top ten nations that are home to “half the women of reproductive age,” but these countries have not shown significant increases in contraceptive use.
The World Health Organization has listed the many benefits of family planning and contraception, including preventing pregnancy-related health risks in women, reducing infant mortality, helping to prevent HIV/AIDS, empowering people and enhancing education, reducing adolescent pregnancies, and slowing population growth.
Although many countries in South Asia are working towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) regarding contraceptive needs, most nations still lack the proper resources to fulfill this goal. One of the most successful countries in South Asia is Bangladesh, which only has 16.8% of “unmet need for family planning” and is close to meeting the MDG for maternal deaths. But even with recent successes, Bangladesh still needs to work on improving “private sector involvement” in reproductive health services.
India is one of the many countries that has failed to complete the MDG for meeting contraceptive needs. Maternal death is prevalent in India, and a primary reason for the high numbers is the early marriage age. 47.3% of women between the ages 20-24 are married before 18, and “the risk of maternal and neo-natal mortality is five times higher among girls who conceive before 20.” The preferred contraception among women in India is also sterilization rather than birth control. This method is not only dangerous but also not widely preferred by women. Despite this, 65% of Indian women between ages 15-49 use sterilization as the primary method of contraception. Even though according to Dr Ashok Dyalchand, the Director of Institute of Health Management in Pachod “a large proportion of very young woman have expressed the desire for [birth control],” the cultural and social stigma behind using birth control remains widespread in India as women in certain states have been denied government services or jobs if they refuse sterilization.
Similar cultural and traditional stigmas are prevalent in Myanmar. Ko Soi, a 26 year old male tour guide states “I don’t want to carry a condom with me all the time. I’m afraid people might think I’m looking for a sex worker. People who really love each other shouldn’t use them.” Soi reflects the majority of Burmese men’s beliefs that contraception is not an accepted practice in normal society. Men and women alike hold these views largely due to inadequate sex education. Women need to be provided with “the information and access to contraception that allows them to take control of their bodies and fertility is key to reducing unplanned pregnancy, as well as the poverty and health risks to mother and child associated with it.”
The Philippines, on the other hand, has one of the most extreme views on contraceptive use. With an 85% Catholic majority, many of the objections towards contraception comes from Catholic Church leaders. In January, Pope Francis visited the nation and supported the Catholic Church’s rejection of contraceptive use. The Philippines has one of the “fastest-growing populations in Asia” and half of the pregnancies occurring are unplanned. But opposition to the nation’s strict abortion laws and lack of sexual health resources is increasing. A reproductive health law was passed in 2012 that will hopefully mean new developments for the country. Overall, these three countries demonstrate how the lack of resources and awareness can stem from deep-set cultural, religious and traditional beliefs and norms.
According to studies done by the Roosevelt Institute, “every dollar spent on contraceptive services $1.4 in maternal and newborn health care costs by helping prevent unintended pregnancies” and “every dollar invested in contraceptive access saves $4.02 in Medicaid expenditures that would have gone to pregnancy-related care.”
A lack of contraceptives is no longer just a cultural and religious issue, but it is also an economic one. Families that do not use contraception are having larger families, which means more mouths to feed. Yet in developing nations like the Philippines, people can rarely afford to have more children. In developed countries, where there is sufficient health services and an advanced economy, population growth is usually stagnant. In order for developing nations to reach this stage of advancement, improving the sexual health sector is crucial.