The right of reproduction should not be taken away from women who may have a variety of different reasons to want to delay their pregnancies and go into motherhood.
Take the case of couples who are career-oriented and choose contraception as a means to achieve effective long-term fertility control.
Amongst the different contraceptive methods, the DMPA is one of the most widely researched and documented safe and reliable means of contraception.
Long-term contraceptives such as DMPA, remove the daily tensions surrounding reproductive and sexual health, especially for those who find other methods impractical.
Young women and couples who find it hard to make ends meet have the right to manage their reproductive rights by using this type of birth control.
In many cases, couples have already one child and are not ready to have a second, as it takes a lot of handling to take care of more than one child.
In these cases the right of controlling the time of reproduction is a mere method of planning a family, which also allows women to live their life and pursue careers, training or even studies.
This type of family planning shows maturity towards fertility and results in better and more informed parenting environments.
Clinical, demographic and social science professionals alike agree that if the need for contraception is not met a large amount of a woman’s time is monopolized
Also, time spent dealing with fertility reduces precious time for responsible and effective parenting, care-taking of elders, income generation and self-development.
DMPA specifically addresses a constraint of parenthood- namely time and stress management. Poverty exacerbates these constraints where reduced access to health care services as well as education and training all work to limit life-choices.
Mothers, who breast feed, are often faced with post-partum health, while at the same time seeking a reliable means of contraception that does not place her child at risk.
The combined oral contraceptive pill is not a viable alternative for breastfeeding mothers who harbor concerns over the effects of the quantity or quality of their breast milk.
The rights of reproduction come out with many theories in order to access treatment and care for women and reproductive justice works to provide a safe access and quality programme for women living in diverse environments and economic conditions.
Allowing contraceptive choices to be considered as reproductive rights may, however, overlook many of the circumstances that allow a women’s own ability to decide what is best for her.
It is necessary to pass from reproductive rights to reproductive justice in order to expand the choice range and allow all women to have access to the various contraceptive needs so that they can choose to plan their motherhood according to their means, needs, and practical requirements.
