Why Reproductive Rights Must Be a Critical Part of Our Arsenal to Fight Pandemics

A pregnant woman in Kenya's North Eastern Province with one of her children. Overpopulation in the area contributes to poor maternal health. Credit: Isaiah Esipisu/IPSBy Siddharth ChatterjeeNAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 27 2020 (IPS) Sexual and reproductive health and pandemics might seem to be unrelated topics, but large and dense populations are drivers of the high velocity transmission of COVID-19, and there are lessons to be learned for the future. Gains made in women’s sexual reproductive health and rights just took several steps backward in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to contraceptives has been interrupted, resulting in an increase in unintended pregnancies. With schools closed, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriages are rising. Globally gender-based violence has risen exponentially, as people are advised or required to stay home, and women and girls may not be able to leave an unsafe or violent situation. The United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA) Executive Director, Natalia Kanem has said, “the world needs to do much more to ensure that the most intimate, yet essential, needs of the world’s women and girls are met while we battle COVID-19.” Among the chief immediate concerns is severely reduced access to sexual and reproductive healthcare while the pandemic rages on. But diminished women’s rights and services have even greater long-term implications for the outbreak and spread of future epidemics. Africa has yet to see the devastation from...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa Combating Desertification and Drought Gender Violence Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies TerraViva United Nations Women's Health Source Type: news