Acehnese step back in time for contraception

Acehnese step back in time for contraception

By Syahruddin Hamzah

BANDA ACEH (Antara): Until recently, Nurhayati's contraceptive
of choice was hormonal injections.

Now, like many women in the province of Aceh, she is relying
on the family planning methods practiced by her mother's
generation.

"For the time being, we will have to use traditional
contraception because the contraceptive devices have become
scarce in the market," the 35-year-old resident of Lambaro
village in Aceh Besar said last week.

Two favored modern contraceptive methods in Aceh are
injections and hormonal implants. Due to the monetary crisis, the
imported hormones used in both methods have started to disappear
from the market and become exorbitantly expensive.

Many women are now turning for help to traditional midwives,
who concoct herbal potions to prevent pregnancy.

Although users believe in their efficacy, local family
planning officials are alarmed at the potential risk of side
effects and unwanted pregnancies.

The acting director of the provincial office of the National
Family Planning Board (BKKBN), Nasrullah Djakfar, admitted that
some local women had abandoned modern contraception.

He said the women should not consider bygone contraceptive
methods as suitable alternatives.

"They should not turn to traditional contraceptives because
they do not seem to be really effective and there might be side
effects that could harm them."

The pill would be a better option, he added.

To prevent a dreaded population explosion, Nasrullah said the
BKKBN headquarters should send the contraceptives for
distribution.

"Without quick delivery of the two contraceptive devices, it
is not impossible that the birth rate in Aceh will increase,
despite the fact that some people have turned to traditional
contraceptives."

The birth rate in Aceh is now 45 per 1,000 women of
childbearing age, from 85-90/1,000 five years ago.

Last year's national economic census found a woman had an
average of 2.4 children, compared to 3.2 children in the previous
census, Nasrullah said.

Aceh's 3.9 million population includes 600,000 fertile
couples. Of these, 66.2 percent are registered in the National
Family Planning Program.

It is feared that about 40,000 couples have left the program
in the period since the beginning of the crisis in July 1997 to
last month.

"They express great interest in the family planning program,
but they complain about the difficulties in getting the
contraceptives they want," he said.

There was formerly opposition to family planning in Aceh,
known as Serambi Mekah (Mecca's Gateway) due to its devout Moslem
faithful. But the program is now widely accepted, thanks to the
integrated cooperation between the BKKBN office and involved
government institutions.

"Those who at the beginning opposed the program have now
changed to fully support the family planning program, and it has
become a need of Acehnese women," he said.

BKKBN staff are now doing their best to get word out to women
to remain in the program. They are using an interpersonal
approach, visiting the villagers and explaining to them that
there is no obligation to rely on a single contraceptive method.

Condoms and the pill are promoted as suitable alternatives to
using implants and injections.

Their message is plain and simple.

"Without contraception, there is a high risk of getting
pregnant," Nasrullah said.