Articles
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Catholics Using Contraceptives: Religion,
Family Planning, and Interpretive Agency in Rural Mexico / Jennifer
S. Hirsch
Research on how religion shapes contraceptive practices and fertility
has paid insufficient attention to how people interpret religious
teachings. This study draws on ethnographic fieldwork in Degollado,
Mexico, to describe generational and social-contextual differences in
how women interpret and use religious doctrine to achieve their
fertility desires without jeopardizing their standing as devout
Catholics. Contrasting the family planning beliefs and practices of
young Mexican women with those of older women (many of whom are the
younger women's parents and in-laws), in a rural town in which the
religious regulation of everyday life is pervasive, reveals how a common
set of religious teachings and principles can be used to guide two
different generational strategies for fertility regulation. The
ethnographic data presented here highlight the creativity with which
people use religious frameworks to justify their behavior. Research
exploring how religion—and culture more broadly—influences fertility and
contraceptive use should give greater attention to the dynamic interplay
between cultural beliefs and institutions, social context, and
interpretive agency. (Studies in Family Planning 2008; 39[2]: 93–104) (offsite
link*)
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Fertility Transitions in Developing
Countries: Progress or Stagnation? / John Bongaarts
Over the past quarter-century, fertility has declined rapidly in many
developing countries. Projections typically assume that this trend will
continue until replacement level is reached. Recent evidence suggests,
however, that ongoing fertility declines may have slowed or stalled in a
number of countries in transition. This study examines the pace of
fertility change in developing countries that have multiple Demographic
and Health Surveys to determine whether ongoing transitions are
decelerating or stalling. The main findings are that in sub-Saharan
African countries, the average pace of decline in fertility was lower
around 2000 than in the mid-1990s and that more than half the countries
in transition in this region have stalled. (Studies in Family Planning
2008; 39[2]: 105–110) (offsite
link*)
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Rates of Induced Abortion in Iran: The Roles of
Contraceptive Use and Religiosity / Amir Erfani and Kevin McQuillan
Iran has experienced a dramatic decline in fertility in recent decades,
but limited access to legal abortion continues to lead many women whose
pregnancies are unwanted or mistimed to undergo clandestine, unsafe
abortions. No official data on the abortion rate in Iran have been
collected, however. This study uses the 2000 Iran Demographic and Health
Survey to estimate the abortion rate for the country as a whole and for
specific regions, and to explore the role of contraceptive use and
religiosity in explaining regional variations in abortion rates. We
estimate the total abortion rate for the country to be 0.26 abortions
per married woman, and the annual general abortion rate to be 7.5
abortions per 1,000 married women aged 15–49. We find that the negative
effect of modern contraceptive use on the abortion rate is 31 percent
greater than the negative effect of religiosity, and we highlight the
implications of these findings for policies on reproductive health and
family planning. (Studies in Family Planning 2008; 39[2]: 111–122) (offsite
link*)
Reports
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Intimate Partner Violence and Interference
with Women's Efforts to Avoid Pregnancy in Jordan / Cari Jo Clark,
Jay Silverman, Inaam A. Khalaf, Basem Abu Ra'ad, Zeinab Abu Al Sha'ar,
Abdullah Abu Al Ata, and Anwar Batieha
This study examines the association between intimate partner violence (IPV)
and women's experience of interference with their attempts to avoid
pregnancy among 353 women surveyed at reproductive health clinics
throughout Jordan. Approximately 20 percent of respondents indicated
that their husbands or someone else had interfered. Among those others
than husbands who were identified, mothers-in-law were the most
frequently mentioned, followed by the respondents' mothers and
sisters-in-law. Multivariate logistic regression was used to control for
potential confounders in determining whether each of the three measures
of intimate partner violence (physical violence, sexual violence, and
controlling behaviors) was significantly associated with having an
increased risk of experiencing interference, as were several
sociodemographic variables: nonconsanguineous marriage, residence with
in-laws, and rural residence. Physicians, nurses, and family planning
counselors must be made aware of the challenges that women may face from
their families when they attempt to regulate their fertility. (Studies in Family Planning 2008; 39[2]:
123–132) (offsite
link*)
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Clinic-based Surveillance of Adverse Pregnancy
Outcomes to Identify Induced Abortions in Accra, Ghana / Elizabeth
Oliveras, Clement Ahiadeke, Richard M. Adanu, and Allan G. Hill
Reliable measures of induced abortion remain elusive, especially when
the public perception is that the procedure is immoral or improper. This
study draws on interviews using a modified preceding birth technique (PBT)
with women attending antenatal and maternity clinics in Accra to compare
rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes (stillbirths, miscarriages, and
induced abortions) with rates from a household maternity history and the
Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. The reports from the antenatal
clinics produced some of the highest rates for adverse outcomes of
pregnancy. In light of the generally high coverage of antenatal services
found even in developing countries, the method based on the PBT holds
promise for the improvement of reports of miscarriage and abortion
worldwide. (Studies in
Family Planning 2008; 39[2]: 133–140) (offsite
link*)
Data
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Cambodia 2005: Results from the Demographic and Health Survey (offsite
link*)
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Rwanda 2005: Results from the Demographic and Health Survey (offsite
link*)
Book Reviews (offsite
link*)
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Warren C. Robinson and John A. Ross, editors
The Global Family Planning Revolution: Three Decades of Population
Policies and Programs
Reviewed by Andrzej Kulczycki
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Arlette Campbell White, Thomas W. Merrick, and Abdo S. Yazbeck
Reproductive Health—The Missing Millennium Development Goal: Poverty,
Health and Development in a Changing World
Reviewed by Stan Bernstein
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Caren Grown, Elissa Braunstein, and Anju Malhotra, editors
Trading Women's Health and Rights? Trade Liberalization and
Reproductive Health in Developing Economies
Reviewed by Amy Lind
* Journal subscribers will be able to access a PDF
of the article online; nonsubscribers will be given access after paying
a fee.
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