Its one of those issues that confront women at one time of their lives or another. It just wont go away! Atleast not while sex continues 😉
Many ignore it at their peril. Others barely tolerate it as a necessary evil.
Where do you stand?
Consider my discussion with Amina below (name changed to protect patient’s confidentiality).
Amina looked at me, her eyes filled with tears.
“I need your help, doctor, I’m pregnant again.” She paused as though the fact still amazed her, as if she was hearing the news for the first time.
I waited patiently as she fought with her emotions. When she started to speak again, the words tumbled out of her in a rush.
“It’s my fifth pregnancy, doctor… we had planned to stop… we really can’t afford another baby… I don’t have a job and my husband’s company is making people redundant so we are not sure of his job either…”
She grabbed the tissue I held out to her and dashed it to her eyes.
“I feel terrible. I had an abortion just four months ago.
“It’s… We… I just can’t have another baby.” The tears overflowed again.
When the storm had calmed, I gently enquired what contraception she was using.
“We use condoms… Sometimes.”
“At other times?”
Silence.
And then: “Nothing,” she confessed.
“I just didn’t think it would happen again so soon, doctor.”
The statistics speak for themselves!
Consider the fact that in 2012, in England and Wales, 49% of black women having an abortion had a previous abortion. This is well above the national recurrent abortion average of 36%.
Black women are ignoring contraception with resulting serious consequences. Unplanned pregnancies, soaring abortion rates, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and other sexually transmitted infections continue to rule the day.
We must stop and take stock of where we are, Black sisters. Together let’s explore our issues and begin to make changes that will bear fruit.
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