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Looking Back, Looking Forward:
A Profile of Sexual and Reproductive Health in India

Edited by Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Population Council, New Delhi

The last decade has witnessed many changes in the sexual and reproductive health situation in India. The policy and program environment has undergone a significant shift from a narrow target-oriented family planning approach to a broader orientation that stresses sexual and reproductive health and choice.

There have also been changes in the context of sexual and reproductive health. Some changes, such as declining infant mortality, increased access to skilled attendance at delivery, and declining unmet need for contraception have been positive. Other trends are disturbing, such as stagnating levels of maternal mortality, the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) notably HIV, the persistence of wide gender imbalances and the limited exercise of reproductive rights by many, particularly women. Moreover, the decade has raised concern about the unique sexual and reproductive health needs of the young. It has also seen the absorption of new technologies into everyday sexual and reproductive life. Finally, while the need for a rights-based approach has been recognized, this has not been reflected in terms of government’s accountability in the realization of health rights. In short, despite the strides made on several fronts, India continues to face a situation of considerable sexual and reproductive ill health and lack of informed choice.

This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the reproductive health and rights situation and highlights major programmatic challenges and directions for policy-relevant empirical research on sexual and reproductive health in India.

Contents

Part I: Setting the Stage

Setting the Stage / Shireen J. Jejeebhoy et al.

Part II: Issues and Evidence

Contraceptive Use Dynamics / K.G. Santhya

Maternal Health and Pregnancy-related Care / Shireen J. Jejeebhoy and Leila Caleb Varkey

Induced Abortion / K.G. Santhya and Shalini Verma

Infertility / Anjali Widge

Reproductive Tract and Sexually Transmitted Infections / K.G. Santhya

Young People’s Sexual and Reproductive Health / Shireen J. Jejeebhoy and Mary Philip Sebastian

Domestic Violence / Vijaya Nidadavolu

Part III: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Looking Back, Looking Forward / Shireen J. Jejeebhoy and K.G. Santhya

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Published by Rawat Publications

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