By Hunter, Alex, Austin, and Kai Population Policy By Hunter, Alex, Austin, and Kai

Summary Population policies historically have been aimed to reduce population in highly developed countries. Since the early 1990’s, though, these policies have turned their focusses to improving the lives of people and their experiences in the reproductive process. The idea of improving women’s individual rights regarding healthcare and reproduction came about at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994. The result of the ICPD came to be known as the Cairo Programme of action, and it caused drastic changes in reproductive healthcare in developed and undeveloped countries alike.

The Cairo Programme of Action (PoA) Calls for increased reproductive healthcare and family planning centers (including abortion centers where legal) as well as counseling on teen sexuality, elimination of harmful practices towards women, and safe delivery services for due mothers. Raises awareness of HIV/Aids prevention and treatment methods. Promotes the right to “decide freely and responsibly” the number of children and time between pregnancies. Promotes a “more holistic vision of a healthy individual.” Family planning centers like these have been erected in many areas since the adoption of the PoA

Problems with Enforcement Many low-income LDC’s do not have the resources to address the multitude of health concerns within the country. Funding from donations and charity has been significantly lower than expected. The program faces opposition from certain religious and political groups. Many LDC’s are unwilling to move towards gender equality after so many centuries of patriarchal social and healthcare systems. Protests against abortion have increased as more and more centers are being built and more and more pregnancies are aborted.

Forging Ahead Any reform will face public scrutiny on some level, and despite some of the opposition, many countries have implemented written laws that coincide with the PoA’s ideas, and the health of their population has changed for the better. The chart below depicts the number of neonatal and infant deaths per 1000 live births in Cambodia, and it reveals the effect proper spacing of births by the PoA’s recommendations can have on these mortality rates. Neonatal and infant mortality rates when compared to spacing of births

Examples of Reproductive Health Acts Around the World

Cambodia Cambodia adopted their Birthing Space Policy in 1996, which conforms with the ICPD-POA. This policy states that “couples and individuals have the rights to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children.” Although this doesn’t seem like much of a policy, this is all Cambodia can put into place due to their poor economic state and lack of healthcare and reproductive health services. The downward trend of the TFR in Cambodia

Indonesia Indonesia made a law on “Population Development and the Development of Happy and Prosperous Families” in 1992. Since this law predates the ICPD, which was achieved in 1994, this law just conforms to their public reproductive health. Since the development process of reproductive health, Indonesian lawmakers have been able to apply ICPD’s concepts before the ICPD was conceived. Since the Cairo PoA was established, Indonesia has been able to apply new concepts to their policy as the nation grows. Indonesia’s population pyramid shows that, around the introduction of their policy, their population leveled off and is on a slight decline now.

Laos Laos has adopted a set of rules called the “National Birth Spacing Policies” which seek to reduce infant mortality and increase the access to birth spacing methods and services. One thing this policy lacks, though, is a reproductive health approach. Though it does encourage the use of contraceptives, the policy doesn’t refer to any of the other reproductive health component services. These strategies conform to the basic principles of reproductive health, but they are an example of a country’s lack of complete enforcement of the PoA. Graph depicting the percentage of women using contraceptives since 1997

Vietnam Before the ICPD, Vietnam had already established a very strong population control policy, and had a set of rules made by the Council of Ministers. These laws include limits on age of marriage, age at first birth, length of birth spacing, and maximum number of children, all of which coincided with the rules of the later PoA. The law on health protection, enacted in 1989, states that “women have the right to have an abortion by their desire”. Also, they have method-linked financial incentives to help promote sterilization. These laws were all made before ICPD and had almost no change in policy after the PoA was created. Vietnam’s population pyramid showing the end of population growth and the beginning of a level population when their policies were implemented.