Daily Times

The United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) has called on the new government to put family planning at the centre of its commitment to child and maternal care. After all, Pakistan reportedly carries out some 2.2 million abortions every year.

According to the UN agency, this signals an unmet national demand for contraception. Yet this is only part of the story. Meaning that incidents of rape need to be factored into the equation. Indeed, even in countries where abortion is prohibited outright, exceptions are made for this; in addition to cases that risk the mother’s life.

Be that as it may, the UNPFA is right in spotlighting the crucial issue of family planning. Though the new political set-up must endeavour to reframe the narrative as granting women the fundamental human right to ownership of their reproductive health. This is more than mere semantic pedantry. It is about affording women self-determination over their own bodies.

Contraception naturally plays a big part in securing the above. Indeed, Pakistan has just two years to fulfil its Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) commitments. The latter represents a global partnership supporting the rights of women with a view to enabling 120 million additional women in the world’s 69 poorest countries to access contraceptives by 2020. In other words, time is running out.

There is also the question of removing the stigma surrounding the purchase of these; especially when it comes to women doing the buying. A good place to start would be to ensure that women have the right to independent access. This extends to the morning-after pill which is available over the counter. Thus nationwide awareness campaigns should be launched; including sensitising pharmacists and their staff on this front. Particularly when it comes to large chains commonly found in urban centres. In rural areas, it might be an idea to try and introduce the practice of customer confidentiality. Though how feasible this would be in small communities where everyone knows each other is debatable.

Some groundwork on these fronts have already been made. For a recent survey conducted by the National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) finds that 34 percent of women on average avail contraception; with the highest levels of usage recorded in Islamabad and the lowest in Balochistan. This translates into a decrease in unmet family planning needs from 31 percent in 1990 to the current rate of 17 percent. That being said, samples sizes aside, statistics alone do not mean very much. What is therefore needed are socio-economic and religious breakdowns.

To be clear, much more needs to be done. For as recently as 2012, an estimated 623,000 Pakistani women were treated for induced abortions. Or put another way, of the 9 million pregnancies that year some 4.2 million were unintended; leading to more than half (54 percent) ending in this way. Mainly because many healthcare professionals are reluctant to carry out the procedure; despite Islamic scholars permitting this within 120 days of pregnancy. And though there have been calls to get religious scholars on board with as many projects centring on women and reproductive health as possible — such moves should perhaps be restricted to the realm of professional healthcare. Given that women already have to deal with untold numbers of men policing their bodies on a daily basis.

The time has come for Pakistan to prioritise women’s reproductive health. Before it is too late.  *

Published in Daily Times, August 30^th 2018.