birth control
Handling the conflict. Many priests all over the world will still go on bending the rules against the use of artificial contraceptives with compassion.

Tagle Ra Jr.

PIP: This article summarizes the book "Bending the Rules" by Jim Bowman, on priests counseling on issues that conflict with Catholic church rules and the need to be compassionate. The book addresses the issue of whether the church is a religion of law, of compassion, or conscience. There should not be a conflict between the two; however, in the case of the Pope's "Humanae Vitae" stance on birth control, there is controversy among bishops, priests, and lay public. Priests counsel parishioners to use modern contraception when the circumstances warrant and in accordance with their informed conscience. Even Pope John Paul II, who affirmed the ban against contraception in his encyclicals, did not treat the ban as a non-fallible teaching. The Bowman book reports the findings from interviews with 50 American priests, who had an average pastoral experience of over 25 years. The priests reported their advice on issues that conflicted with Church rules and compassionate practice, such as birth control. Another banned "confessional research" book quoted from a tape recorded response of Pope Paul VI and said that the Pope thought the controversy over his encyclical might have brought people closer to what is really God's will on the matter of artificial contraception. Almost all of the priests said that the question of birth control hardly was discussed in their pastoral ministry. One priest said that in premarital counseling, he advised that there were differences in opinion about contraception, but that official doctrine opposed it. One priest believed that the teaching was not on solid ground.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12294058&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
[Demographic transition or revolution? The weaknesses and implications of the demographic transition theory. Part 1: the origins]

[Article in French]

Bourcier De Carbon P.

PIP: The work of Adolphe Landry is reviewed in relation to development of demographic transition theory. Landry was appointed administrator in 1912 of the National Alliance Against Depopulation and remained active in it his whole life. He also helped create family allowance programs in France. As early as 1909, Landry described three different population regimes. In the "primitive" regime, which characterized all nonhuman life and human life during most of history, the population was adjusted to available subsistence by mortality. In the "intermediate" phase, restrictions on marriage and control of reproduction outside marriage maintained the population at a level below the maximum supportable. In the "contemporary" regime, the universal practice of contraception and abortion could lead to very low levels of fertility. The spread of contraception and low fertility appeared to Landry a true demographic revolution. He attributed the acceptance of contraception to a change in the common aspirations of human beings regarding their conditions, a desire for improved material well-being and social advancement, and an increased spirit of rationality and even calculation in their behavior. Landry believed that the contemporary regime, unlike the preceding two, had no mechanism implying equilibrium. The demographic revolution freed fertility from social determinants and linked it more closely to individual interests. Landry expected the contemporary regime to spread throughout the entire world, with many areas still in the primitive phase passing directly to the contemporary. He was concerned with the effects of demographic aging, and he deplored birth control propaganda that claimed it as a cure for unemployment and for overpopulation in the poor Asian countries. The birth control movements in England and the US were successful in bringing the two countries into the contemporary regime. A number of organizations such as the Population Association of America and the Office of Population Research at Princeton were favorable toward the spread of birth control through the rest of the world.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12294439&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
Family planning in rural Egypt: a view from the health system.

Burkhardt R, Field JO, Ropes G.

PIP: The objectives of this discussion are to present in summary form data from the M.I.T.-Cairo University Health System Questionnaire that are directly relevant to family planning in rural Egypt and then to analyze the patterns observed using other relevant data from the questionnaire. Popular receptivity to family planning is the primary issue addressed. Other issues include the types of contraceptives offered by the rural health system, their utilization by the public, and the significance of the doctors' own disposition toward family planning. This view from the health system is concerned with how the doctors in charge of rural health facilities perceive the situation and how they cope with it. The data examined provide only a partial indication of the prospects for successfully delivering family planning services in rural Egypt. The most common birth control method offered by rural health facilities is oral contraception (OC). 98% of the centers and units responding to the questionnaire offered OC. Following in popularity are IUDs (33%) and condoms (24%). A very small percentage provide foam and creams and none offer sterilization. Utilization reflects these patterns in large measure. The big difference between availability and utilization has to do with the prevalence of prolonged lactation. Although not offered by the health service, prolonged lactation is cited first as the most commonly used method of birth control by a plurality of doctors (47%). The apparent popularity of prolonged lactation as a birth control technique may reveal the extent to which the rural families make their family planning decisions independently of the health system. The gap between the system and society implied by the continued popularity of prolonged lactation is not because of lack of effort on the system's part. Education on family planning is widespread in rural Egypt. A 2nd problem revealed by the data is that although doctors may favor family planning, they also perceive the public as hostile to it. A promising route to lessened fertility lies in reducing the incidence of early childhood mortality.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12279332&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
The value of birth control.

Sommers PM.

PIP: The attempt was made to obtain an improved estimate of the economic value of birth control programs in developing countries. A medium sized econometric simulation model -- based on data covering a cross-section of 67 countries -- was constructed to investigate the implications to a developing economy of birth prevention. Fertility measures were included in the model as important endogenous variables in the economic process, and parameter values were supplied by formal estimation rather than expert judgment. A matrix of age-specific birth and survival rates was used. The model has sufficient detail to generate a complete age distribution for the population, yielding improved estimates of the value of birth control and other growth policies. Initial focus is on the construction of the model. This is followed by simulation of the system with simulated paths compared to observed paths for a few countries. Projections of real per capita output and other variables with and without the presence of a birth control program are presented. The size of the differential economic effect associated with lower fertility is examined for 17 sets of initial conditions corresponding to a selection of 17 developing countries. Comparisons of birth control with other forms of investment are made.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12261907&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
Trends in fertility level in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the years of Soviet rule.

Urlanis BT.

PIP: The birth rates of the USSR within its present boundaries are reconstructed for the period 1918-1940 on the basis of incomplete data and taking into consideration several changes in frontiers. Estimates for the years 1941-1945 are derived from data on school attendance during the 1949-1954 period, as well as from data provided by the censuses of 1959 and 1970 concerning cohort survival. Deriving an "effective fertility rate," which adjusts for the mortality wastage of young children, discussion focus is on fertility trends until 1976 and the changes in age patterns of reproduction at the national level and in the various republics. During the 1918-1940 period, the birth rate in the USSR never fell below 30/1000 and never exceeded 45/1000. There was a significant drop in the birth rate in the 1931-1936 period, and this is attributable to the problems of the period of collectivization and to the large-scale processes of migration involved in the country's industrialization. After the late 1940s, the overall birth rate in the USSR stabilized at a level of 25-27/1000, but from 1960 onwards, there was a steady decline in the rate. The level reached its lowest in 1969 and then rose somewhat. This increase reflects the transient influence of changes in the age-marriage structure of the population and in the "timetable" of births. A comparison of the present fertility level with the level in the 1920s indicates that the birth rate has declined by a factor of approximately 2.5, but in evaluating this decline the sharp decline in mortality, particularly infant mortality, must also be considered. The child mortality level in prerevolutionary Russia was very high. The overall mortality rate for the 20 provinces of European Russia in 1920-1922 was 33.2/1000, namely, 1/4 higher than it was before the Revolution. In subsequent years infant mortality continued at a high level and was 18.2% in 1940. In the last 25 years mortality in children under age 5 has markedly declined. In 1976 the overall birth rate was 18.5/1000 and the "effective" birth rate was 18.0/1000. The practice of birth control in families is spreading in various ways. In some cases the proportion of married couples using family planning is increasing, while in other cases couples already using birth control are beginning to use it after the birth of a child lower in birth order. In most areas of the country birth control is being practiced predominantly in such a way as to keep families down to 1 or 2 children. For the whole of the USSR in 1973-1974, the gross reproduction rate was 1.178, while the net rate was 1.118. Although there is ample population replacement in the country as a whole, in a number of republics even mere replacement is threatened.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12262584&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
[National meeting on birth control techniques ends]

[No authors listed]

210 million contraceptive operations, which include vasoligation, tubal ligation, and implanting of IUDs, were carried out in China in the 9 years from 1971-1979, according to sources from a national working conference on birth control techniques which closed here yesterday. The conference was called to help implement China's birth control policy with stress on the rural areas. The goal is to limit the country's population to 1200 million by the turn of the century. The Ministry of Public Health has issued regulations on dispensing of the various methods of contraception, the conference said. Health workers are instructed to popularize all methods and increase their proficiency. At the conference, proposals were raised on how to spread knowledge of birth control, promote research, production and supply of contraceptive drugs and devices and introduce safe and simple methods and highly-efficient contraceptive pills. At present, a network of technical guidance teams, stations, research institutions, and operation service groups have been set up in all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across the country. Great efforts are being made to train technically proficient medical workers in all counties, the conference said. full text

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12263988&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
[Guo Feng attends birth control meeting]

Shenyang Liaoning Provincial Service.

The 1980 provincial population growth rate was 8.71/1000, the lowest since the founding of the PRC. In addition, the 1980 provincial birth rate was also the lowest. This reflects the fact that the province has scored great achievements in birth control work. A meeting was held today in the province to commend those collectives and individuals that have achieved advanced results in birth control work, including 10 Red Banner units, 190 advanced collectives, 73 workers, and 27 individuals. The 10 Red Banner units are Dazhong District in Shenyang Municipality; the state-run Liming machinery company; Zhangtiekou and Anjingzi Districts in Dalian Municipality; Jin County; Lishan District in Anshan Municipality; the Anshan iron and steel company; and Yingkou, Dawa, and Heishan Counties. Attending the meeting were Guo Feng, Chen Puru, Liu Wen, and Zhang Zhiyuan. Comrade Chen Puru spoke at the meeting. On behalf of the provincial CCP Committee and People's Government, Comrade Zhang Zhiyuan pointed out to the meeting that the 1981 provincial population growth rate should be set at or below 10/1000. This is an arduous goal because there are some 3 million youths in the province at the legal marriageable age set by the new marriage law. Therefore, we should not blindly hold an optimistic and complacent attitude toward this work. We should intensify propaganda and education work to enhance the ideological and political awareness of youths and continue to implement various policies concerning birth control. Those who deserve commendation should be commended and those who deserve punishment should be punished according to regulations. Comrade Zhang Zhiyuan continued: The practice of birth control is an important policy of the party and the People's Government, and is a duty of every citizen. All communists, CYL members, and cadres should play a leading role in this regard. full text

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12263992&dopt=Abstract birth control