The low levels of men's involvement in family planning are reflected in the very low use of the available male contraceptives - male condom and vasectomy. So we not only have to expand the basket of choice for contraceptives by having more male-oriented family planning methods, but also increase the uptake of male condoms and vasectomy.
I find it worthwhile to mention here that Risug, a reversible non-hormonal, non-invasive male contraceptive developed by Dr Sujoy Kumar Guha, an Indian biomedical engineer and Professor Emeritus at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, might finally see the light of the day after years of hard work. Clinical trials of this world's first injectable male contraceptive have been completed successfully and the Indian Council of Medical Research has sent it to the Drug Controller General of India for regulatory approval. It holds great potential of drawing in more men into family planning programme, which at the moment is almost entirely the responsibility of women.
Family planning programmes in countries of Asia Pacific region must restructure their sexual and reproductive health strategies to focus on meaningful engagement of men and promote male contraceptive methods so that they become equal and responsible partners in the uptake and use of family planning services. Healthcare providers will also have to change their stance and involve more men in their counselling conversations, encouraging them to use male contraceptive tools and not just focus on methods used by females. At the same time, women too need to raise their bar of expectations from men when it comes to planning their family, to reduce the undue burden placed on them. Bodily autonomy is essential if we are to realize the sustainable development goals related to gender equality and human rights.
Shobha Shukla - CNS (Citizen News Service)
(Shobha Shukla is the founding Managing Editor of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a noted gender justice advocate. She is a former senior faculty of Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Media Network to end TB & tobacco and prevent NCDs. Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla)
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