New Delhi, India

World Contraception Day is marked on September 26 every year, since it first began in 2007. This day is marked to bring focus on creating awareness about contraceptives, family planning, and reproductive rights of individuals and couples, empowering them to make decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health, freely and responsibly. 

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This day is also marked to raise awareness about the importance of contraceptives, how essential it is to have access to them and to shed a light on different birth control methods. On this day in 2007, 10 international family planning organisations asserted that using contraceptives and enabling a planned decision on starting a family is essential, hoping that one day every pregnancy becomes wanted. 

This echoed a similar sentiment expressed by former United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director, late Dr Nafis Sadik, in 1994, she said “Healthy families are created by choice, not by chance.” Today this day and aim is supported by at least 15 international NGOs, medical and scientific communities, and governmental organizations across the world with the aim to impart the right knowledge about sexual and reproductive health. 

Significance of the day

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Every year, the significance of World Contraception Day is reiterated by several international organisations, including the UN who aims for universal access to sexual and reproductive health services as of one of its Sustainable Development Goals to achieve by 2030. 

It states, “By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.” 

A statement issued ahead of World Contraception Day on September 26 and the International Safe Abortion Day on September 28 by the UN Human Rights organisation reads, “The world has been experiencing promising developments but also important setbacks affecting the right to sexual and reproductive health, including on the right to a safe abortion.” 

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They went on to assert that Human rights laws stipulate that a woman must be free to choose when to get pregnant, how many children to have and how to space their pregnancies, and any law or policies that deny girls or women the right to access sexual and reproductive health is “inherently discriminatory”. 

Even today, over 250 million women who do not wish to get pregnant are not using safe or modern methods of contraception, while at least 172 million use none of the methods of contraception, said the UNFPA report. 

Women have cited reasons like concerns about side effects and misconceptions of effects on long-term fertility. While others in several parts of the world are “forbidden to use contraception by their husbands, partners, or in-laws,” said the report. There are also a lot of stigmas surrounding the use of contraceptives, while some women don’t know about it, and cannot access or afford them. 

The Human rights statement also called for the States to respect women’s autonomous decision-making and not limit their access to contraceptives “to the obtention of the authorisation of husbands, partners or parents of girls seeking counselling on contraceptives.” 

Every year, this day is marked by online and offline campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of contraceptives to sexual and reproductive health. Furthermore, events held in line with this day also discuss unintended pregnancy, lack of contraceptives, family planning, and so on. 

Where does India stand on the use of contraceptives?

India being a developing country and the world’s second most populous one, the use of contraceptives has been central to the country’s family planning and population control schemes. 

According to a report by Family Planning 2020 (FP2020), over 139 million women and girls in India are now using modern methods of contraception. As a result, more than 54.5 million unintended pregnancies were avoided, 1.8 million unsafe abortions and 23,000 maternal deaths were averted in 2020 alone. 

ALSO READ: Fear of contraceptive methods still prevalent in rural India

Addressing an event in 2021, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, said, “Improving the quality of contraceptives, augmenting contraceptive demand through comprehensive IEC campaigns, and focused interventions in high fertility districts through Mission Parivar Vikas, have been few of the country’s notable achievements.” 

Dr Vardhan summed up India’s vision for family planning as “Every Child is Wanted, Every Birth is Safe, and Every Girl and Woman is treated with Dignity”. 

(With inputs from agencies)