Reproductive health
Unplanned pregnancies
FROM all accounts, there are a lot of unplanned pregnancies in the country and especially at this time.
One local reproductive health association recently (FT 11/6) mentioned the word “regret” twice in describing how young pregnant women feel about becoming pregnant.
Do they regret becoming pregnant because they can ill-afford to have a baby?
One pregnant mother of three (FT 22/6/21) is worried about not being able to afford the transport cost to the healthcare facility to give birth.
That’s before the baby is even born. How then will her family cope with postnatal costs? I hate to think. With an extra human being comes costs which can stretch a family’s budget to the limits.
One can read many accounts of where parents have gone hungry just to ensure their children don’t go to bed on an empty stomach. Is this the quality of life for which families strive?
I worked for a global sexual reproductive health organisation in Fiji which dedicated itself to reducing poverty and improving the quality of life for Pacific Islanders by providing access to sexual reproductive health advice and services.
We ran an adolescent sexual reproductive health drop-in centre which provided the most up to date and safe contraception methods to prevent unplanned pregnancies as well as to protect from sexual transmitted diseases which can be transmitted through unprotected sex.
Being able to have control over family size can make the difference between being in poverty or not.
Taking control of one’s sexual reproductive health and having the knowledge to do so is very empowering. If individuals or couples know about the options available, this can spare them unplanned pregnancies and help in significantly reducing and preventing hunger and poverty.
I’m wondering why we don’t see brochures available in all three main languages at health centres, screening clinics and vaccination centres with information on methods of contraception including prevention of sexual transmitted diseases. This information is tantamount to understanding the facts about COVID-19 and how to avoid it.
I would have expected sexual reproductive health organisations in Fiji to be working closely with their global sexual reproductive health partners and the Ministry of Health to create much greater public awareness on sexual reproductive health and the services available to ensure girls, women, boys, men and their families don’t fall into poverty because of unplanned pregnancies.
The first three UN Sustainable Development Goals read:
Goal 1: No poverty
Goal 2: Zero hunger
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages which includes ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services.
Are we doing enough to meet these goals?
JULIE SUTHERLAND
Tamavua