Amman: Difference between revisions

In Jordan, you can purchase birth control pills without a prescription.<ref>[Conversation with Jordanian local women]</ref> By law, you may technically need a prescription to purchase birth control pills,<ref>[http://ocsotc.org/wp-content/uploads/worldmap/worldmap.html Global Oral Contraception Availability]</ref> <ref>[http://freethepill.org/where-on-earth/ Free the Pill: Where on Earth]</ref> however it appears that this isn't commonly requested by many pharmacists.  

However, there are certainly social stigmas in Jordan surrounding contraception, especially for women who seek out medications at clinics or hospitals. Certainly, some women in Jordan (particularly expatriates) have reported that they have purchased contraception with minimal or absolutely zero issues, especially when they have purchased the contraception at pharmacies. However, it's important to understand that there's a noticeable bias against single women accessing contraception at certain hospitals and clinics. Doctors and hospitals in Jordan often act under the assumption that women who seek out contraception (or any sexual or reproductive health services) are married. So, if you choose to seek out contraception at a hospital (rather than a pharmacy), you may be asked questions like, "For how many years have you been married?" This can be interpreted as a form of social pressure that is meant to discourage single women from seeking out birth control. Some single women choose to say that they're divorced (even if they've never been married) to avoid the social pressure, stigmatization and shaming. If you want to avoid these types of questions, you can choose to seek out contraception at pharmacies, where you'll be less likely to encounter such questions. However, there is no guarantee that you can entirely avoid these questions, so one should be prepared to handle them in advance.