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===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ||
In Pakistan, contraception (birth control) is available without a prescription. It is estimated that 38.5% of Pakistani women use some form of contraception. The most popular methods are male condom (9.9%), female sterilization (9.8%), withdrawal (8.4%), injectable (3.2%) and IUD (2.6%).<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf]</ref> The Pakistani government is concerned about the | In Pakistan, contraception (birth control) is available without a prescription. It is estimated that 38.5% of Pakistani women use some form of contraception. The most popular methods are male condom (9.9%), female sterilization (9.8%), withdrawal (8.4%), injectable (3.2%) and IUD (2.6%).<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf]</ref> The Pakistani government is concerned about the surging population and maternal mortality rate, so it has sought to emphasize family planning. However, contraceptive usage remains fairly low. This can be partially understood through the social, political and religious lens of modern Pakistan. | ||
The Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) was founded in 1953. The founder, Saeeda Waheed, was an advocate of birth control. FPAP was a part of Third Five Year Plan (1965–1970), which helped lay the foundation for Pakistani family planning strategy. During that period, the main contraceptive method switched from condoms to IUDs. Yet, in 1977, the government of General Zia ul-Haq banned publicity for family planning, amidst extreme political turmoil and the declaration of martial law. After Zia's power ended, family planning and population control went under the Ministry of Health, which has unfortunately remained fairly unchanged for the last 35 years. | The Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) was founded in 1953. The founder, Saeeda Waheed, was an advocate of birth control. FPAP was a part of Third Five Year Plan (1965–1970), which helped lay the foundation for Pakistani family planning strategy. During that period, the main contraceptive method switched from condoms to IUDs. Yet, in 1977, the government of General Zia ul-Haq banned publicity for family planning, amidst extreme political turmoil and the declaration of martial law. After Zia's power ended, family planning and population control went under the Ministry of Health, which has unfortunately remained fairly unchanged for the last 35 years. In recent years, there has been an effort to bring health care providers to women's homes, similar to the successful Bangladeshi door-to-door services. Yet, Pakistan's family planning policies still lag behind other Muslim nations, like Iran and Bangladesh, while military spending takes precedence over many other aspects of Pakistani society, including family planning. As reported by the Washington Post in 2011, "Over 50 years, Pakistan’s fertility rate has dropped from about six children per woman to an average of about four. But the decline has been far too slow for the country to reach its target of 2.2 children per woman by 2020."<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/family-planning-is-a-hard-sell-in-pakistan/2011/11/08/gIQANeGcuO_story.html?utm_term=.7045df7d0d38 Family planning is a hard sell in Pakistan]</ref> | ||
Aside from political issues, cultural and religious issues also play a large role. In Pakistani society, husbands, mullahs and mother-in-laws can play crucial roles in determining women's decisions. Contraception is shunned in traditional Islam, and the Pakistani religious political party has called contraception "un-Islamic." However, the largest determining factor does not appear to be religion. Rather, it is the familial pressure (especially from husbands and mother-in-laws) to have large families. When most Pakistani women get married, they move into their husband's family's home. At that house, they are often expected to become mothers to many children. When health care workers visit these homes, the mother-in-law usually answers the door, and it is common for the mother-in-laws to see no need for their son's wives to take contraceptives. Furthermore, husbands commonly feel that contraception choices should be determined by Islam or their mother-in-laws. | |||
Currently, Greenstar and Marie Stopes are some of the leading providers of family planning in Pakistan. However, the organizations recognize that they are a "drop in the bucket" and that family planning must be embraced community by community. | |||
===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ||