Daily Times

The forsaken topic of birth control in Pakistan has always been shrouded with enigma and plagued with controversies. The very idea of birth control and contraceptives has always been dealt with a pinch of salt and often viewed as a vague non-Islamic measure by many pseudo-religious factions. They would stand up against just any other norm followed by the western world and would often countenance all those immoral actions which they seem fit. This hypocrisy against a sensitive topic such as birth control is detrimentally influencing millions of Pakistanis.

Dating from 2002, Pakistan’s current family planning policy reflects the government’s concern with rising population trends and poverty. The policy’s goals include reducing population growth (from 2.1 per cent in 2002 to 1.3 by 2020) and reducing fertility through voluntary family planning (from four births per woman in 2004 to 2.1 births per woman by 2020). As a signatory to the Programme of Action developed at the International Conference on Population, Pakistan pledged to provide universal access to family planning by 2010. Also in Pakistan’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper included is the objective of increasing contraceptive use by 57 per cent by 2012. However, at present, there is no federal ministry of health or population welfare and, therefore, no population policy.

The pledges were taken but no actions have taken ever since and a huge reason for this is the religious zealots, which have affected the ideologies of many people throughout the country. For them, birth control is seen as a way of going against god’s plans – a sinful act that is letting Pakistan fall astray from the path of Islam. What these religious fanatics fail to perceive is the drastic upsurge in the local population, which is causing a lot of problems for the already flimsy Pakistani economy. The current number of adequate health facilities is being outnumbered by the ever-growing population. The job sector has been flooded and saturated with employees and the country is facing a mass unemployment onslaught. All of this is because of the poor birth control policies prevalent here in Pakistan.

The religious factions often argue the fact that birth control is a manmade method and an impediment in the work of God. By stopping birth, they believe, Allah will stop providing sustenance and subsistence in a household, where having more children is directly proportional to having more prosperity in life. It is this ideology of the self-proclaimed religious experts, who often argue that having more children will be more prosperous but such ideologies feel good in pages of a novel set in a time, when life was easy to live and prosperous but the reality, on the contrary, is quite perplexing and unforgiving.

Having off springs is indeed a glorious gift but one should not exploit the gifts of god as an excess of everything has never been a good idea, to begin with

Having offsprings is indeed a glorious gift but one should not exploit the gifts of god as an excess of everything has never been a good idea, to begin with. Those people who still believe birth control methods are un-Islamic and sinful as these are the “contraptions” of mankind, should also stop the use of medicines to cure disease because just like contraceptives, medicines are manmade too. Why doesn’t the idea of god having the cure to all diseases apply here and why doesn’t praying alone help here. Why is it that these people seek for medical attention in hospitals and take various medicines to fight a said disease when all they can do is just sit in their homes and believe that they will be healed and vitalised. Medicine is God’s blessing bestowed upon mankind to help them and birth control is a part of medical science too and it is very helpful in tackling the ongoing problem of population growth in Pakistan. However, it is speculated that the Government of Pakistan spent USD 652 million funds under the policy of birth control between 2000 and 2009 but there was hardly any change in CPR, which was 30 per cent in 2000 and remained unchanged in 2006.

The benefits of birth control outweigh even the barrage of controversies surrounding this sensitive topic. Not only does it help control the population but it can also help in stopping the spread of STDs, with the use of condoms. It is also important to note that other elements of population development such as education, capacity building, economic development have been notably absent from the policies of birth control made and this has affected the overall steep rise in population in the country over the years. In 2009, the Ministry of Population sought to revise the Population Policy. However, under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, the Ministry was devolved and its responsibilities were shifted to Provincial Population Welfare Departments.

Many elements need to be considered by women, men, or couples at any given point in their lifetimes when choosing the most appropriate contraceptive method. These elements include safety, effectiveness, availability (including accessibility and affordability), and acceptability. Voluntary informed choice of contraceptive methods is an essential guiding principle, and contraceptive counselling, when applicable, might be an important contributor to the successful use of contraceptive methods. In choosing a method of contraception, dual protection from the simultaneous risk for HIV and other STDs also should be considered. Although hormonal contraceptives and IUDs are highly effective at preventing pregnancy, they do not protect against STDs, including HIV. Consistent and correct use of the male latex condom reduces the risk for HIV infection and other STDs, including chlamydial infection and gonococcal infection.

The writer is a journalist and social media activist based in Islamabad