The Family Planning Association of T&T (FPATT) joins the local public health community in responding to the Zika virus outbreak, particularly as it affects women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights and pregnancy outcomes.
FPATT is calling particularly on the Ministry of Health to engage with us as well as other professional health associations to ensure that prevention and preparedness planning includes adequate sexual and reproductive health and rights responses.
In T&T where a significant proportion of all pregnancies are unplanned; where sexual and gender-based violence is prevalent; where there are a number of myths regarding emergency contraception and where the abortion law is often misinterpreted making women doubtful about their rights, any suggestion to women to delay pregnancies will be difficult to achieve.
It is important that we protect and preserve women’s right to decide on the timing of pregnancy, independent of the status of the Zika epidemic.
Asking women to avoid pregnancy without expanding access to contraception, education and safe abortion services is not sound public health policy.
FPATT, like its parent body, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, supports a comprehensive, integrated response to Zika, ranging from mosquito control to local and regional health education campaigns to improved access to contraception, safe abortion, prenatal care, and support for parents of babies should they be born with microcephaly. We strongly recommend strengthening family planning programmes and access to safe abortion services.
Pregnant women and those who opt to get pregnant must be provided with the necessary support and guidance in relation to reducing their risk of Zika infection, ensuring appropriate care and management during pregnancy, and caring for babies born with microcephaly.
There must be adequate social and medical support for people with disabilities arising from the Zika virus infection, especially those born with microcephaly and other neurological deficiencies and disorders.
Very importantly, any strategy to address Zika must ensure availability of a secure supply of essential sexual and reproductive health commodities, including a range of long‑acting reversible contraceptives, emergency contraceptives and male and female condoms.
The announcement on April 1, that a 23-year-old pregnant woman is now affected with the Zika virus will no doubt contribute to fear in the national community and amongst other women who may be pregnant.
There is no pressing time than now for the Government of T&T to revisit its position on abortion to ensure access to safe abortion services for women who have Zika infection and might wish to have an abortion because of fear of microcephaly.
Research has shown that unsafe abortions continue to be a major public health problem for many women in this country. The law of T&T related to termination of pregnancy was inherited from Section 58 of the 1861 UK Offences against the Person Act, as it was in much of the Commonwealth. This law has been changed in the United Kingdom and revised in many Commonwealth countries, including inter alia Barbados, Guyana and St Lucia.
The interpretation of the T&T law even as it stands allows that there are circumstances under which access to termination of pregnancy may be legal.
We would like to refer our readers to A Legal Interpretation of the Trinidad and Tobago Abortion law, conducted on behalf FPATT by Douglas L Mendes, SC in August 2007 and which can be found on our website HYPERLINK “http://www.ttfpa.org” www.ttfpa.org.
In another publication conducted by FPATT in 2007, A situational analysis of Unsafe Abortion in Trinidad and Tobago, the data as presented in this report leaves no doubt that there is need for an urgent response at the service provision, research, and policy levels.
In order to improve women’s health outcomes the Government, NGOs, and the community must work together to ensure the provision of comprehensive health services that at a minimum, include three basic components: Promotion and implementation of comprehensive sexuality education; universal access to a full range of modern contraceptive methods; and the promotion of and respect for women’s right to make autonomous, informed and responsible decisions about their lives.
Finally, we at FPATT strongly believe that it is only through awareness and education that prudent decisions for the family can be made. Armed with education, a woman can then truly exercise her right to make decisions which are directly related to her own sexuality and reproductive health, without negative consequences for her family. We see the advancement of education and the provision of appropriate sexual and reproductive health services to women, men and young people in the various communities of T&T, as an integral and important part of our role.
Dona Da Costa Martinez,
Executive director, FPATT
Dr Jacqueline Sharpe
Child Psychiatrist,
Advisory director, FPATT
Dr Monica Davis
Board member, FPATT