Contraception

Contraception refers to the practice, methods, or devices used to prevent pregnancy when having sex. According to Planned Parenthood, ’family planning has always been widely practiced, even in societies dominated by social, political, or religious codes that require people to “be fruitful and multiply”’’ (Planned Parenthood, 2012).

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other authorities on the subject use family planning to refer to contraception in their most current publications. However, since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (CIPD) in Cairo, the goal has been to replace it with contraception. The reason is that many people—for example, teenagers and young people—need access to contraceptive methods even if they are not planning on having a family. Ideally, planning for a family should occur during adulthood. Yet, adults also need contraception to enjoy their sexuality, regardless of whether they plan to have a family at some point in their lives.

For a long time, contraception has been associated to sexually-active women. However, some sectors, especially feminism, insist that it is not fair to place the responsibility of contraception almost exclusively on women. This occurs not only because of the gender roles that are accepted in most countries, but also because research on contraception has not dedicated enough efforts and resources on contraceptive methods for men. The only methods accessible to them are condoms and vasectomies.

Still, it is important to highlight the impact that contraception had and continues to have on women’s autonomy and freedom. Contraceptives allowed people to separate sexuality from reproduction and, therefore, enjoy sex without the fear of pregnancy. The launch of the ’pill’ on the market coincided with the ’sexual revolution’. Both of these represent milestones in women’s process of independence.

Contraception for persons with disabilities

According to the UN  Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, persons with disabilities have a right to access all forms of care related to sexual and reproductive health on equal terms. In this sense, persons with disabilities must choose a contraceptive method according to their preferences, the type of disability, and the specific characteristics of that method. Therefore, medical decisions must be based on informed choice and according to the appropriate comprehensive sexuality education.

Further, because of the history of forced sterilization among persons with disabilities, it is important to ensure that decisions on sterilization are made with the free and informed consent of the person in mind. This can be based on their own decision or through supported decision-making.