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In Laos, you can purchase oral contraceptives (birth control pills) over-the-counter. No prescription is required.<ref>[http://ocsotc.org/wp-content/uploads/worldmap/worldmap.html Global Oral Contraceptive Availability World Map]</ref> <ref>[http://freethepill.org/where-on-earth/ Free the Pill: Where on Earth]</ref> According to 2015 report, it was found that 53.6% of Laotian women (who are married/in unions and of reproductive age) use any form of contraception. The most common methods were birth control pills (23.2%), injectables (14.9%), female sterilization (5%) and the rhythm method (4.8%). There were very low rates of usage of IUDs (1.8%), condoms (1.25) and implants (0.1%).<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use 2015]</ref> | In Laos, you can purchase oral contraceptives (birth control pills) over-the-counter. No prescription is required.<ref>[http://ocsotc.org/wp-content/uploads/worldmap/worldmap.html Global Oral Contraceptive Availability World Map]</ref> <ref>[http://freethepill.org/where-on-earth/ Free the Pill: Where on Earth]</ref> According to 2015 report, it was found that 53.6% of Laotian women (who are married/in unions and of reproductive age) use any form of contraception. The most common methods were birth control pills (23.2%), injectables (14.9%), female sterilization (5%) and the rhythm method (4.8%). There were very low rates of usage of IUDs (1.8%), condoms (1.25) and implants (0.1%).<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use 2015]</ref> | ||
Historically, Laos has experienced periods of both rejecting and embracing family planning. In 1969, the International Planned Parenthood Foundation teamed up with the United States Agency for International Development to develop family planning programs. It was under these efforts that the | Historically, Laos has experienced periods of both rejecting and embracing family planning. In 1969, the International Planned Parenthood Foundation teamed up with the United States Agency for International Development to develop family planning programs. It was under these efforts that the child‐care and maternity wing of Mohosot Hospital, based in Vientiane, was developed. The hospital performed some vasectomies and tubal litigation procedures. However, in 1976, the Laotian government officially banned birth control. There may have been a few reasons for this ban. First, after the decades long Laotian Civil War (1953-1975), the government wanted to build up its population with a new generation of Laotians. Furthermore, the family planning policies of the past were associated with American involvement in Laos, which the government wished to distance itself from. During this period, birth control pills disappeared from the shelves and any remaining supplies were treating as contraband.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/09/archives/laos-bans-birth-control-to-build-population-after-a-decade-of-war.html Laos Bans Birth Control to Build Population After a Decade of War]</ref> | ||
By the late 1980s, birth control was accessible again<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/laos/48.htm Laos - Population]</ref>, though it was primarily adopted by urban women. In the remote and rural areas, the rate of contraceptive use remained very low into the 1990s, and in areas that were far from provincial capitals or the Thai border, contraceptive usage was "virtually nonexistent," according to one source.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/laos/48.htm Laos - Population]</ref> | |||
Today, over half of Laotian women use some form of birth control. Some inroads are also being made in rural communities, where volunteer workers, known as community-based distribution (CBD) workers, are educating their communities and distributing free contraceptives. The CBD workers have received training from the Laotian government and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). One of the main issues is that the majority of the CBD workers are male (not female). To read more about CBD workers in Laos, click [https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/13/condoms-contraceptive-pills-laos-birth-control-family-planning here]. | |||
as contraceptive rates continue to rise, women still face some barriers. There are reports of unmarried women feeling shamed by judgmental health care providers<ref>[http://reliefweb.int/report/lao-peoples-democratic-republic/analysis-reproductive-healthcare-lags-laos Analysis: Reproductive healthcare lags in Laos]</ref> | |||
===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ||