Contraception unlike before is no longer new as it has gained global publicity. Many people, both women, and men are using contraceptives across the globe as a way of family planning. Before the introduction of contraception such as pills, implants, patches, vaginal rings, intrauterine devices, and sterilization people used to rely on natural family planning methods which were not reliable and most of the time ineffective. Today there has been increased contraceptive use and this has helped in cutting down the number of maternal deaths by 40% for the past 20years. Also, with the use of contraceptives, unintended pregnancies have been reduced, as well as unsafe abortions. According to WHO (2020), from 2000 to 2019, there has been an increased contraceptive prevalence among married women of reproductive age globally. However, some women do not use contraceptives, citing different reasons such as fear of the effectiveness of the contraceptives as well as the side effects. Contraceptives use also faces criticisms from some religions or cultures and this makes some people fail to use citing religious reasons. Some organizations such as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer guidance on the safety of the birth methods especially for women with specific medical conditions. Men and women sterilization is the most effective method of birth control. Contraceptives improve child survival in the developing world by lengthening the time between pregnancies. Birth control helps in planning when to have children or child as well as how many children one wants to have unlike before whereby women used to get pregnant anyhow. This has increased economic development as people have children they can care for, reducing the number of dependent children. This paper analyses ethical issues surrounding contraceptive use.
Technical Aspects of Contraception
Contraception or birth control is a method or device used to prevent pregnancy; birth control methods have been there, but effective and safe methods of birth control methods became available in the 20th century. With contraceptives, giving birth is a choice, as unwanted and unplanned pregnancies have been avoided through the use of contraceptives. Today reproductive women have gotten wise and no longer risk getting pregnant as have turned to contraceptives whereby they use them to avoid getting pregnant when they are ready. Teenagers also use contraceptives especially the sexually active ones as they know that failure to use them their chances of becoming pregnant are high. Therefore, to avoid unplanned and unwanted pregnancies teenagers have turned to contraceptives birth control method is 100% effective although some methods are close to100% effective. Abstaining from sexual intercourse is the only guaranteed family planning method that is 100% effective. For a family planning method to be effective, users have to exercise consistency and use the contraceptives correctly because a small mistake is more likely to lead to pregnancy. Men just like women have a great influence when it comes to the use of birth control measures. According to Thummalachetty (2017), men have high levels of contraceptive knowledge, especially married men. The more knowledge about contraceptives individuals have, the more the prevalence that those individuals will use birth control methods. People with little or no knowledge about contraceptives are less likely to use them; those with little knowledge are always filled with fear as the majority of them know much about its side effects rather that is benefit hence the reason why they are more likely to avoid using the contraceptives.
Public Policies Surrounding Contraception’s
Different countries have set up policies tonsure that all people have access to contraceptives and without any form of discrimination. FPA urges that every individual has a right to access contraception and that every individual should choose and use any kind of contraceptive which they feel comfortable with without any alteration. The FPA policy statement on contraceptives believes that all people should have access to contraceptives in places that are convenient and appropriate to them (FPA, 2019). Additionally, every individual has the right to access accurate family planning methods and evidence-based information on all methods. These policies are put in place to ensure that people have adequate knowledge of all types of contraceptives to facilitate easy decisions on what birth control method best suits them.
Why Contraceptive use is Ethical
Birth control methods have a range of benefits; for instance, contraceptives are ethical because they help reduce pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality. Both ethical and unethical issues surround contraception’s; while some approve and encourage the use of birth control methods other groups of people or individuals are against the use of contraceptives urging that contraceptive use is unethical. One ethical issue about contraceptives is that help in enhancing women, this is because they allow women to make their own reproduction choices (Aiken & Scott, 2016). Contraceptives allow women to plan when to have babies, and this promotes their careers as unwanted and unplanned pregnancies do not interrupt career women but only have children when they want to. Another issue that makes contraceptives ethical is that it has led to a decreased number of abortions and unwanted pregnancies. Today reproductive women use contraceptives to avoid getting pregnant and this has led to decreased cases of abortion. Another ethical issue about contraceptives is that contraceptives help families in having the number of children they want; through the use of contraceptives, child spacing is also ensured as well as couples have time to decide when to have a child and when not to [(Morgan & Datta, 2018). Those who support contraceptives use urges that contraceptive methods are safe and that no contraceptive interferes with the life of human beings as unlike abortion, birth control methods prevent one from getting pregnant.
Why Contraceptive use is Unethical
Despite its benefits, some people or groups of individuals view contraception as a morally wrong practice. For example, opponents of contraception urge that contraception use is unnatural; opponents of contraceptive use urge that using contraceptives is not a natural way. Opponents urge that the use of birth control methods interferes with the natural order of the universe as it prevents the existence of new lives (Morgan & Datta, 2018). Secondly, other opponents urge that contraception is a form of abortion as it involves preventing from carrying a pregnancy. According to religious studies, sex was created for reproduction, therefore, using contraceptives is the same as separating sex from reproduction and it is known that sex was made for reproduction. Another unethical issue surrounding the use of contraceptives is that it brings with it health risks. This makes opponents of birth control methods view it as an act that brings with it more negative consequences; hence, its risks outdo the benefits. Another argument against contraceptives is that it prevents the birth of people who could have been born as it prevents pregnancy [Morgan & Datta, 2018]. Being born is by lucky, therefore, contraceptives use prevents the birth of people who could have been born out of luck. Some religions as well as cultures oppose contraceptive use urging that it is an immoral act as it makes it easier for people to have sex outside marriage something that is morally wrong. Despite contraceptives having lots of benefits to women, men, families, and couples, opponents of birth control use still insist that contraceptives should be avoided at all costs as their disadvantages are great and also it interferes with nature.
Many reproductive people across the globe use contraceptives as a way of family planning. Birth control methods have been of great benefits more so to women whom with contraceptives use can plan for their life as well as their career as contraceptives help in the prevention of unwanted pregnancy which affects women life. Fewer abortion cases, most of which are unsafe, have been avoided through the use of contraceptives as reproductive women, instead of risking getting pregnant they use contraceptives. This has also led to a decreased number of morbidity among women as many women used to lose their lives during childbirth due to unplanned pregnancies. However, despite contraceptives being effective methods of family planning, this reproductive health issue is faced with lots of criticism from religious leaders, cultures, and other different groups of individuals who urge that the use of contraception interferes with the natural reproductive system as sex is made for reproduction purposes hence using birth control methods interfere with the main aim sex. Religious leaders also urge the use of contraceptives is unethical as it promotes immoral behavior in the society as people get to have sex anyhow as they are sure that they cannot conceive. This also risks their health, as unsafe sex is more likely to lead to sexually transmitted diseases. Modern contraceptive use is a reproductive health issue that needs lots of attention from both the government and the health sector. The issue needs to be addressed to ensure that contraceptives are safe and effective and that they do not have side effects, as their side effects are very severe to the users.
References
Aiken, A. & Scott, J. [2016]. Family Planning Policy in the United States: The Converging Politics of Abortion and Contraception. Elsevier Ltd.
FPA. [2020]. Contraception. Retrieved from https://www.fpa.org.uk/sites/default/files/contraception-policy-statement.pdf
Morgan, S. & Datta, S. [2018]. Contraception and Its Ethical Considerations. Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved from http://belmont.bme.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/377/2020/05/2.-Contraception-and-its-ethical-considerations-Morgan-Datta.pdf
Thummalachetty et al. [2017]. Contraceptive Knowledge, Perceptions, and Concerns among Men in Uganda. BMC Public Health. Retrieved from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-017-4815-5
WHO [2020]. Family Planning/Contraception Methods. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/family-planning-contraception
