Population and Sexual and Reproductive Health
The Policy Tracking and Monitoring Unit maintains a database of population and sexual and reproductive health
policies in cooperation with UNFPA. This update is a part of policy tracking.
Issue No. 60–September 20th 2012
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND FAMILY PLANNING
The Cabinet on September 17th provisionally approved the draft Population Policy 2012 for planned development and population control. The approval was given at the regular meeting held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Md Mosharraf Hossian Bhuiyan told reporters that the main objectives of the policy are making reproductive health service available to all and reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. It also aims ensuring women empowerment and welfare of persons with disability and the elderly people, minimizing gender disparity, strengthening the urban health service, increasing use of family planning method to 72 percent from the 61.2 percent and enhancing the participation of the private sector in reproductive health.
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on September 17th claimed that all pending issues on the health sector allocations and policies during the 12th five year plan have been resolved during their meeting. This follows a directive by the Prime Minister — during the full Planning Commission meeting on September 15th— to Azad and Ahluwalia to settle the policy feud as soon as possible. “It was a good meeting. All pending issues have been sorted out. It is now for the Secretary, Planning Commission, and other officers to work out the details,” Azad said after an hour-long meeting with Ahluwalia at Nirman Bhavan. He, however, did not answer questions on the nature of “compromise” reached.
The Reproductive Health (RH) bill may be put to a vote on second reading after the House of Representatives passes the proposed P2-trillion national budget for 2013, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday. Belmonte said the chamber is working on a final version of the RH bill that would include amendments pushed by moderates in the ranks of those opposed to the measure. The House has ended its debates on the measure and entered the period of amendments. Lawmakers strongly opposed to the bill, however, managed to delay the proceedings.
One human rights group confirmed this week that the central Population & Family Planning Commission has issued directives to local and provincial offices banning the use of forced abortion, particularly in cases of late-term abortions. Kat Lewis of All Girls Allowed says the move is a “big step” towards protecting women and children — if it is implemented. Following public outrage in China over forced abortion and other abuses of the controversial One-Child Policy, some local officials are adopting the new guidelines to curb violence—and bad press. This week, All Girls Allowed received word that China’s central family planning leaders have ordered local affiliates to modify their enforcement of the One-Child Policy. The human rights group reached the family planning office in Chongqing, the city where disgraced hardliner Bo Xilai ruled as Party Secretary until this spring. A committee member confirmed that they had issued an order on August 30th prohibiting forced sterilization and banning the use of late-term abortions to enforce the policy.
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HEALTH AND POPULATION
The “oldest old” population which is 80 years and above is expected to increase by 23,500 by 2050. This revelation was made during a workshop on Fiji’s ageing policy yesterday and according to the projections older women will have the biggest number within this group. The National Ageing policy which was endorsed by the government last year is focused on four goals which include the recognition of the contribution of the older people, social assistance, healthy living and enabling supportive environment for the older person. Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Ministry Permanent Secretary, Govind Sami said Fiji is also facing the emerging issue of growing number of older people and that they want to see that older persons have a better life and more inclusive environment after retirement.
HIV/AIDS
A bylaw on HIV/AIDS will impose punishment on anyone who stigmatizes and discriminates against people with HIV/AIDS, in order to protect those with the illness. A draft of the bylaw will soon be deliberated by the Denpasar Legislative Council and the city administration, and related parties will be involved in the discussions. In addition to minimizing the spread of HIV/AIDS by regulating the responsibility of the local government and the public, the bylaw is aimed at improving the quality of life of those living with the disease. We have proposed in the bylaw draft that there should be punishment for those who discriminate in any way against HIV/AIDS patients,” Mangku Karmaya, coordinator of the provincial commission on HIV/AIDS treatment’s working group, said Monday. He suggested that insulting people living with HIV/AIDS could lead to criminal charges.
GENDER EMPOWERMENT
Australia's parliament voted overwhelmingly on September 19thto reject gay marriage, after days of heated debate that saw one senator resign from a key role after linking same-sex unions to bestiality. The House of Representatives voted down the bill to legalize marriage between same sex couples by 98 to 42, with Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition conservative leader Tony Abbott both voting against it.
Gillard had allowed Labor MPs a conscience vote on the issue -- meaning they were free to vote how they wanted rather than along party lines -- while the opposition had opposed it. Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese, who voted for the reform, said despite the bill's failure the figures were encouraging.
Millennium Development Goals
The Indonesian government is forming a committee to support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) in his duty as a cochair of the UN High Panel on the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDG), an official says. The committee would include the country’s best MDG experts as well as officials related to post-2015 development, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, the head of the Presidential Working Unit for Supervision and Management of Development (UKP4), said.“The committee will help the President compile thoughts and ideas in relation to the UN High Panel,” Kuntoro told The Jakarta Post, adding that he could not disclose the members of the committee, pending the President’s approval. The forum has been tasked to advise on the developments after the MDGs expiration in 2015 and to draft Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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