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.