Birth control: does it really work?

Birth rate is part of the cycle of life, but in some cases it gets out of control and it is for two reasons: lack of information and sexual education.

These topics, which continue to be taboo worldwide, take a toll on all sectors, not only those with limited resources, since in affluent families, "accidents" sometimes happen that are covered up with lavish marriages filled with unhappiness, just to disguise the fact that the young girl of the house is no longer a virgin.

But the reality is that if things were discussed on time and with the necessary sincerity both at home and in schools, perhaps those realities would be less common. The same would happen when governments truly put into operation the so-called "family planning offices" that few attend, or only go to obtain some governmental handouts that help them have some extra money just for having children.

Both in my home country (Venezuela) and where I currently live (Argentina) these offices exist, but in my view, they are just part of the bureaucracy to justify the salaries of a group of people who, while they may have all the best intentions in the world, lack the resources to carry out massive information campaigns on the subject.

Furthermore, in both countries, governments contradict themselves when they apply policies to provide bonuses for having children, encouraging those looking for an easy way out to have children just to opt for a little money, as these aids are really just temporary solutions.

Obviously, this is a topic that also depends on where you are, as many countries have these family aid policies, but for demographic reasons, given that the majority of the population is adult, the generation replacement is scarce or almost non-existent. In this case, incentives are necessary to ensure succession in those countries, but the same policies cannot be adapted to nations with a balanced population.

Answering the question of whether there are birth control measures, there are officially some, aiming to guide families in some way to have only the children they can properly raise, but this remains on paper and in the offices farthest from the other clinics in hospitals.

The lack of information regarding the existence and appropriate uses of contraceptive methods, as well as beliefs that children are what unite couples, make these controls somewhat complicated.

As a mother, I see that in schools and high schools there is not much discussion beyond quick information to meet evaluation requirements, when I believe that it is precisely at this age that we should pay more attention to it, to prevent teenage pregnancies and even sexually transmitted diseases that are alarmingly high among young people.

There are two opposing views: the ecclesiastical side that says children are blessings from God to be received without barriers (such as using condoms), and those like me who believe that birth control is a state matter that requires more attention, as it is of no use to distribute brochures when the reality requires more drastic actions.

charlesdeluvio - Unsplash

I have always thought that something should be done with the medical records of women who give birth in hospitals, beyond storing their data, since those who go to public institutions to have their children do not have the resources to pay for a private clinic.

Perhaps it may seem harsh on my part, but if these medical records were properly reviewed, women with more than two children would have to undergo tubal ligation or at least a subdermal implant to prevent further pregnancies.

Birth control programs exist and are accepted, but unfortunately, between the written work plan and the desired reality, there is a vast gulf, in which children are the victims of many situations that no one should have to experience, at any age.

Foto/Photo by: Charlesdeluvio, Aiden Frazier and Krakenimages (all from unsplash)
Edición/Edited by @mamaemigrante using canva
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Translated and formatted with Hive Translator by @noakmilo.