Southeast Asia – Less Contraception Use In A Pandemic?

Athira Nortajuddin
15 March 2021

Just last year when over half of humanity was confined to their homes due to COVID-19 preventive measures, Karex, a Malaysian contraceptives manufacturer predicted a global condom shortage as the pandemic shuttered factories and disrupted supply chains.

This came as Malaysia, one of the world’s top rubber producers and a major source of condoms, imposed a nationwide lockdown – known locally as the Movement Control Order (MCO). The MCO was implemented sometime in mid-March 2020 for several months.

Continued: https://theaseanpost.com/article/less-contraception-use-pandemic

Uganda – Spike in unplanned pregnancies, abortions

World Contraception Day takes place on September 26th every year. Under its campaign, every pregnancy is wanted. But in Uganda, this vision came under attack because of the lockdown which made access to sex easy but hard or impossible to family planning services and information. The result was an explosion of unplanned pregnancies and abortions as Agnes Kyotalengerire found out.

By Agnes Kyotalengerire

6th October
2020

Monicak
Kayesu' story

When Monica Kayesu, 36, a mother of four, sought family planning
services earlier this year, she settled for an intrauterine device (IUD). Unfortunately, the lockdown took effect at on
March 20th, the day she was to have the coil inserted. With public transport
banned, Kayesu could not get it inserted in April and conceived in May. She is
five months pregnant and cannot come to terms with the idea of having a fifth
child.

Continued: https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1528596/spike-unplanned-pregnancies-abortions

Uganda – Why some girls may not return to school after COVID-19 lockdown

As a result, provision of most services, such as maternal health, reproductive health, and family planning were affected.

Benon Musasizi
4th October 2020

The well-being of thousands of girls in Busoga region is at risk, with reports of a huge number of teenage pregnancies since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Containment measures against the virus, which included closing schools, exposed many girls to risky sexual behaviours in the community.

Continued: https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1528459/girls-return-school-covid-19-lockdown

04.10.2020

Featured

News

access to contraception during lockdown

Africa: Essential Women’s Health Services at Risk Amid Covid-19

By JOHN LAZAME TINDANBIL
Oct 4, 2020

Bolgatanga, Ghana — The COVID-19 pandemic is setting back important progress on women’s health across Africa. There are many reasons for this, including lockdown restrictions which are keeping women at home, concerns about catching the virus, and the closure of women’s health services. These problems are not simple ones, but they to be acknowledged and addressed.

In my own country, Ghana, where my organisation runs safe abortion and family planning services in the north of the country, we saw a sharp drop in the number of women accessing our services from April to August 2020, compared to the same period last year.

Continued: https://thestreetjournal.org/2020/10/africa-essential-womens-health-services-at-risk-amid-covid-19/

‘COVID-19 May Increase Unintended Pregnancies, Unsafe Abortion’

July 16, 2020
Martins Ifijeh

Speaking during a webinar organised by the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists, Nigeria recently to commemorate this year’s World Population Day, the experts said the COVID-19 lockdown prevented many women and girls from accessing family planning services.

Sharing his thoughts, the former Country Director, Ipas Nigeria, Dr. Ejike Oji, said some women who became pregnant during the lockdown and have had the number of children of their choice, would resort to unsafe abortion, adding that young girls caught up in the same scenario may end up with unsafe abortion.

Continued: https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/07/16/covid-19-may-increase-unintended-pregnancies-unsafe-abortion/

Why India is likely to lose its battle to population control as the health department focuses on COVID-19?

Why India is likely to lose its battle to population control as the health department focuses on COVID-19?
In the worst-case scenario, there can be more than 2.9 million additional population which could be due to unintended pregnancies

Thursday, May 14, 2020
By Jescilia Karayamparambil

The already stressed healthcare segment in India is presently concentrating on saving the lives of COVID-19 patients. But the healthcare professionals like doctors and other healthcare workers, are expected to feel the pinch further when there are more abortion cases and other health issues among women -- mainly due to unwanted pregnancies, says VS Chandrashekar, Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India (FRHS). This unwanted pregnancy is expected to have large economic pressure among families who were not ready for a child.

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Chandrashekar, said, "We prepared a report taking into consideration three scenarios -- best case, likely case and worst scenarios."

Continued: https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/why-india-is-likely-to-lose-its-battle-to-population-control-as-the-health-department-focuses-on-covid-19

Millions more cases of violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, unintended pregnancy expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Millions more cases of violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, unintended pregnancy expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic

28 April 2020

UNITED NATIONS, New York – A clear view of the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic is only beginning to take shape, but experts estimate the human cost could be extraordinary. The economic and physical disruptions caused by the disease could have vast consequences for the rights and health of women and girls, a new analysis by UNFPA and partners shows.

Significant levels of lockdown-related disruption over 6 months could leave 47 million women in low- and middle-income countries unable to use modern contraceptives, leading to a projected 7 million additional unintended pregnancies. Six months of lockdowns could result in an additional 31 million cases of gender-based violence.

Continued: https://www.unfpa.org/news/millions-more-cases-violence-child-marriage-female-genital-mutilation-unintended-pregnancies

Zimbabwe – Timely Pitch: Women Still Need Contraceptives During Lockdown

Timely Pitch: Women Still Need Contraceptives During Lockdown

by Edinah Masiyiwa
28.4.2020

Recently, my work phone rang and on the other end was a woman called Tendai (not her real name). Tendai needed to get a replenishment of her contraceptives. She tried to go to the women’s clinic that morning.

Our clinics were deemed essential and are open, but Tendai could not reach one as there was no public transport running in her area. Quickly, I assured Tendai that I would call her back with a solution. Fortunately, Women’s Action Group, the organisation I work for, is part of a coalition working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and I was able to connect her to a service provider who helped her obtain her contraceptives as they could offer transport within a given radius and she lived close enough to receive that help.

Continued: https://www.thezimbabwean.co/2020/04/timely-pitch-women-still-need-contraceptives-during-lockdown/