Women's health, reproductive rights still neglected
Women's health, reproductive rights still neglected
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia remains remiss when it comes to
addressing shortcomings in women's health and reproductive
rights, prominent physician Kartono Mohamad says.
The chairman of the Indonesian Medical Association told a
seminar on women's rights here Saturday that despite the
country's success in reducing infant mortality rates, the
maternal mortality rate remains the highest in Asia.
Most pregnancy related deaths are caused by anemia,
hemorrhaging and complications after illegal and often unsanitary
abortions.
The maternal mortality rate here is 450 deaths for every
100,000 births.
Kartono said these problems persist in the face of a decades
old program (KIA) intended to improve maternal and infant health
that has not addressed issues of respect for women and the right
to control their own bodies.
In many parts of the country, decisions on pregnancy or
contraception are often made by husbands or mother-in-laws, he
said.
"Many people here still see women's biological destiny to be
pregnant and give birth as a duty, without rights," he told some
250 participants at the seminar which sponsored by the magazine
Femina.
He said women should have the right to say no to sex, to
decide when and if to get pregnant, to chose their own
contraception based on fair and adequate information, and to have
access to reproductive health care services and information.
He rejected the suggestion that discriminatory acts against
women stem from religious teachings, particularly Islam. He
quoted several Koranic verses which clearly protect and respect
women's reproductive rights.
Only few
Unfortunately, few Moslem woman leaders dare to speak up about
the misperception, an attitude which in turn causes political
leaders to feel reluctant to make decisions which benefit women,
he said.
"What's even more ironic is that many women leaders who occupy
high-ranking political positions take a male's stance and point
of view," Kartono said.
"The attitude stems from the women's sense of insecurity, a
feeling of inferiority compared to men, which prompts them to
identify themselves with and be more like men," he said.
Held in conjunction with the Kartini Day, Indonesia's women's
day, the seminar also presented lawyers Abdul Hakim Garuda
Nusantara and Nursyahbani Katjasungkana. Both spoke about legal
protection of women's rights, something which is not yet fully
established despite Indonesia's human rights campaign.
Kartono cited a special example of abuse of women's
reproductive rights in rural areas where village officials, in
their eagerness to gain credit from their superiors, force local
women to use contraceptives. (swe)