Family planning

Family planning

I was amazed to read the headline in The Jakarta Post, on July
8, 1994 that Vatican accuses West of biological colonialism. In
terms of the development tendency of new biology, I totally agree
with it.

The anxiety raised by the church or any religious leaders
regarding the modern method of family planning is reasonable. To
curb the population explosion, contraception alone is not enough.
As a matter of fact, the lack of other reproductive health care
systems, unacceptable side-effects on women's bodies and rude
staff at clinics should all be taken into account.

The phenomenon is made worse by the fact that, (as written in
the text) "At times these family planning methods have been
imposed through `blackmail' in allotting economic and financial
aid to the developing countries."

Do babies pollute our world? Every sane human being should
agree with the phrase "the gift of life is the God's greatest
gift."

Anyhow, when talking about world population we tend to refer
to population problems in the developing countries. It seems the
developing countries which are situated mainly in the Southern
Hemisphere are the source of the world's population problem.
Therefore, the West has taken the role of "messiah" in offering
their technologies to the addicts of technology.

However, the term population explosion is merely a mask which
is designed to encourage the use of contraceptives in particular
countries in Asia and Africa. I assume, it is the multinational
pharmaceutical companies that will gain the profits from trading
contraceptive devices around the world.

In accordance to the UN International Conference on Population
and Development, which will be held in Cairo in September, the
population problem should be evaluated from a clear and plain
perspective.

WAHYUNI RIZKIANA KAMAH

Jakarta