The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda has said that girls aged 15 years should not be availed contraceptives.
While requesting the government of Uganda not to approve of such a policy, Tayebwa defended his stand saying that such a move would be equivalent to legitimizing sexual violence in Uganda.
He said; “We pray that the devil doesn’t find his way & such thoughts should never come into minds of our people because it is giving up. That is formalizing defilement. That is clearly saying we have failed. We would rather strengthen the monitoring to ensure that we fight this vice but not legitimizing it by giving such services, and I am glad it isn’t yet a policy.”
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Meanwhile Dr.Charles Olaro, the Director Curative Services at the Ministry of Health who announced last week the girls were to be given contraceptives informed DPU that priority would be to those out of school and young adults.
Olaro affirmed the new policy noting that ensuring access to reproductive health information and services to all individuals including the young is an issue of fundamental rights and public health.
He said; “It is important that we foster an environment where youths can access information on sexual reproductive health and contraceptives for those in need without stigma, discrimination or judgment.”
As per statistics over 78 percent of the population are below 30 years. At 24 years of age, almost more than half of the women are either pregnant or have a child.
Proponents of this proposal argue that a number of lives have been lost due to unsafe abortion, teenagers have suffered trauma of carrying children resulting from rape as well as those women who have suffered gender based violence which makes it inconvenient to carry child in such moments. All these according to proponents calling for the need for contraception.
However some opponents including members of the inter religious council and some parents have argued that permitting contraception among teenagers will fuel promiscuity as well as highly exposing them to contracting HIV.
Uganda has been for long promoting the ABC policy to guard against early pregnancy and prevent HIV at the same time. ABC-Abstain. Be faithful, Condom use.
The attempt to review Uganda’s policy to permit contraception from as early as 15 years of age has been a back and forth attempt since 2012 when Uganda committed to attain universal access to Family planning at the London Summit on Family Planning.
Some of the social media users on X responded in agreement with the Deputy Speaker with just a handful opposing his stand.
Masereka Yona said; “Contraceptives are for family planning use, why would some body recommend that teenagers take them? Thanks Deputy speaker.”
Major Koryang Charles Lepere also responded via X; “I agree with Deputy Speaker 100%. Acceptance will be abrogation of our 1995 constitution that put child age at 18 years .Actually child age should be move from 18 years to 21 year.”