“1.6 crore abortions a year in India : 81 % at home : Study”
is a headline in Times of India dt 12th December, 2017 on its front
page .Also on the front page of the Times of India , is another headline “No condom ad on tv from 6 am to 10 pm –Govt . “
The government seems to be in denial about sex. Even though
our population keeps growing exponentially. One of the reason as pointed out by
the study many people don’t know how to use condoms the right way. The study by
IIPS, Institute in Mumbai also stated that nearly 50 % of pregnancies are
unintended .This means that there is an urgent need for better contraceptive
tools like condoms & family planning
methods as opined by Dr Chandra Shekhar, the main author of the study at IIPS.
The study revealed that nearly 1.6 crore abortions took
place in India in 2015. Figures must have definitely risen by now in 2017 This
is nearly 50 % more than the Government figures of 7 lakhs per year since last
15 years. The study discloses that one in 3 pregnancies in India leads to abortions .And the number of abortions carried out in public facilities is nearly
five times more than the Government figures .This is extremely alarming.
Government is in denial about abortion figures & now it seems
to be in denial about sex as well. Since there is no sex, condoms will be not publicized
from 6am to 10 pm ? And the ban order
seems to suggest that it had to be brought about ,as companies were telecasting
graphic adult content for advertising
condoms which government claims is unsuitable for kids. Since , sex is adult
activity, condoms are advertised using
adult themes. And moreover if such ads are stopped, more kids will be born as
condoms are a choice for contraception.By stopping these ads in the suitable
time slot, the choices to public for safe sex are being denied. Kids are the
output of sex, not the input.
What the government fails to understand is that if abortions
can reach such high figures , its because candom ads are so few & far in
between, that their impact is grossly inappropriate ( pun intended ) .The
advantage of using condoms against family planning methods are many . Condoms
are one of the most easily used contraceptive tools. Firstly, what condoms do is temporary whereas many family planning methods are
permanent .Though some family planning
methods are reversible as well .Yet,
temporary methods may require invasive procedures which many will rather not
opt. Family planning methods require intervention of the doctor whereas condoms
can be brought at pharmacy & other stores .The study revealed that 8 1 %
abortions were carried out at home by methods like taking medicines which are
available at the counters . Though this is extremely dangerous trend, it
follows , that the Indian public would prefer using condoms rather than opt for
family planning methods. This could be because in India, tradition &
religion forbids the people from openly asking & going in for condoms & much less family planning
methods. That’s why, sex education is a must at schools. Our netas are against
sex education. And so it follows that they are against condom education via the
ads on tv.
For women ,condom
usage prevents unwanted pregnancies & hence, abortions which could be life
threatening. For men & women both , wearing condoms prevents AIDs & other sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, the population of those affected by HIV in India is third highest in the world.With so
many advantages, why should condom ads
be banned ? Deodarant ads & even toothpaste ads look & even sound like porn in action. And yet, such
ads are viewed by all without any hesitation.
On second thoughts, the government seems to believe that each woman must
give birth to more than two children as our netas have been screaming . Though,
the general public may disagree , yet
what gets banned is what the government wants to ban. After all, did not the
public vote for the government to come to power ? Hence, the government can ban what it wants .After
all in a democracy, government is by the people, of the people & for the
people.
India has a huge young population .Unemployment rates are high. Skill India has
been unable to make significant dents into the problem of unemployment .And
mobile phones & internet make porn easily available to the youth including teens. The young are going to
experiment with sex come what may. Its better that they have safe sex rather
than sex which leads to dangerous health & social problems .Safe sex is possible through condoms .The
ads on condoms will make the youth aware of a tool which can provide safe sex.
Absence of condom ads from 6 am to 10 pm on tv will defeat the purpose of safe
sex. This is the time slot when the Indian population is watching the idiot
box. Telecasting condom ads on tv from 10 pm to 6 am, will defeat the purposes
for which condoms are being advertised.
Banning porn in this digital age is nearly impossible
because of the internet. Hence, the mad step to ban condom ads. The results
will be catastrophic as there will be a rise in unplanned pregnancies
& obviously ,abortions majority of
them illegal.
Many young couples may want to wait for some time before
they beget children And condoms fulfil this need ,as they are easy to use .This
awareness about condoms is possible through advertisements . And stopping ads
on condoms is like leaving couples with no option but to beget children even if
they are not ready for kids.This will lead to social as also health problems. And
an added risk of rapid population
growth.
Unintended pregnancies lead to another problem .Sometimes,
the foetus may be underdeveloped or there could be some other health
problem/s,And many times, such problems get detected so late in the pregnancy
that legal abortion is impossible. And this leads to illegal abortions with its
inherent risks.
As per Medical
Termination of Pregnancy Act, in force at present in India, foetus can be
aborted up to 12 weeks with approval of
a doctor. Between 12-20 week foetus, approval of 2 doctors is needed .Foetus
older than 20 week cannot be aborted as per the act.
Many women who approached courts to have their pregnancy
terminated late(more than 20 weeks ) into
the pregnancy had to return disappointed as the courts refused to grant
permission to do so. Because that meant going against the Medical Termination Of Pregnancy Act. This act is now going to be amended to allow for termination
of late pregnancy. Using condoms is a possibility that such pregnancies could
have been avoided. And for that, condom ads need to be telecast and aired on tv
s it has a wide reach in our nation.
The government has been promoting beti bachao , beti padhao
programme. Condoms ensure safety for girls by preventing unwanted pregnancies
& therefore abortions. As per WHO report 5 women die on an hourly basis in
India during child birth. Therefore
condom ban is against beti bachao , beti padhao . Perhaps this
has happened because one arm of the government has no idea what the other arm
of the government is doing. Or maybe, the different arms of the government are
working on cross purposes.
The government, in fact ,should go aggressively for condom
drives to popularise condom usage That’s why the government should reverse the
condom ban & instead promote condoms for safety .This is another way to
save the daughters of India.
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