MEMBER’S ARTICLE

EXPLORING UNINTENDED PREGNANCY IN INDONESIA: A NEGLECTED ISSUE

by Gabrielle Adani - SCORA CIMSA UI

In an ideal setting, a woman usually plans and prepares for a pregnancy appropriately. Furthermore, pregnancy is often the most awaited thing by newlyweds. Children complete the family, as children are often considered to fulfill joy and happiness in a family.

However, do you know that unintended pregnancy in Indonesia reached 17,5%? Besides, there are 420,000 unwanted pregnancy cases in March-September 2020 alone, according to a report issued by National Population and Family Planning Board!

We often sweep this phenomenon under the rug. Nonetheless, unintended pregnancy is a substantial issue that bears critical risks. Unwanted pregnancy defines as a few conditions, such as:

• The mother does not want to be pregnant. • The mother does not want to have another child. • The mother has not planned to have a child. The majority of unwanted pregnancy cases happen because of a lack of knowledge about contraception and the inconsistency of contraception use.

What are the consequences of unintended pregnancy? After realizing her unwanted pregnancy, the first thought in a woman’s mind is often the urge to abort it. The saddening fact makes women turn to ways to abort their children illegally. Unsafe abortion has severe risks and consequences for women who have undergone it. Some of the complications that can happen after unsafe abortion includes:

• Fail to remove pregnancy tissues in the uterus. • Heavy bleeding. • Damage of urinary tract and/or reproductive organs because of sharp objects inserted.

Women with unintended pregnancies also suffer from socioeconomic issues. Shame, humiliation, and exclusion from society often haunt women who are pregnant outside wedlock. They are also often not given a chance to graduate and accomplish their study, moreover higher education level.

How to prevent unintended pregnancy and the risks? Prevention of unintended pregnancy takes the form of adequate education and implementation of public policies. Everyone should receive sufficient comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) since early years. Adequate education about sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially contraception, should be the basis for women to plan and prepare for pregnancy at the proper stages of their lives.

The other matter that has to be issued to decrease unintended pregnancy cases is women empowerment. There are yet countless men that oppose their partners from using contraception; whereas women should be able to make their own decision for their own body. This particular phenomenon shows that women still need a space to achieve CSE and safely express their opinions.

Are you ready to attain the space for all Indonesian women? - Gaby Figure 1. The percentage of unwanted pregnancy that leads to abortion in countries that have not legalized abortion

References:

1. Unintended pregnancy [Internet]. US: CDC; date unknown [cited 2021 Apr]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/ reproductivehealth/contraception/ unintendedpregnancy/index.htm 2. Loasana NA. Contraception use drops, unwanted pregnancies rise during pandemic [Internet]. Jakarta: The Jakarta Post; 2020 Dec [cited 2021 Apr]. Available from: https:// www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/12/10/ contraception-use-drops-unwantedpregnancies-rise-during-pandemic.html 3. Chapter 3: Consequences of Unintended Pregnancy. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Unintended Pregnancy; Brown SS, Eisenberg L, editors. The Best Intentions: Unintended Pregnancy and the Well-Being of Children and Families. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1995. 4. Preventing unsafe abortion [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2020 Sep [cited 2021 Apr]. Available from: https://www.who.int/newsroom/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafeabortion 5. Emilia S. Safe abortion crucial for women’s reproductive health [Internet]. Jakarta: The Jakarta Post; 2020 Sep [cited 2021 Apr]. Available from: https://www.thejakartapost. com/life/2020/09/29/safe-abortion-crucialfor-womens-reproductive-health.html 6. Dailard C. Marriage is no immunity from problems with planning pregnancies [policy review on the Internet]. US: Guttmacher Institute; date unknown [cited 2021 Apr]. https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2003/05/ marriage-no-immunity-problems-planningpregnancies#