Mola blasts Catholic Bishops over family planning comments
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| Professor Glen Mola. |
The Catholic Bishops have been blasted for their comments on family planning methods.
The criticism comes from Professor Glen Mola, who is the head of reproductive health, obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Papua New Guinea’s school of medicine and health sciences.
Prof Mola said the Catholic Health Services, like other Christian church run health services is receiving an annual grant from the Government, but is not providing a full range of health services approved by the Health Department, thus denying the right of people living in the areas where the Catholic health services operates, to these services.
"It is the national health policy of Papua New Guinea to ensure the right of every PNG couple and individual to have the means to decide the size and spacing of their children and encourages them to do this responsibly taking into account the resources they have to provide adequately for their children,’’ he said.
He said it was a proven fact all over the world and in PNG that pregnancies spaced too closely lead to higher rates of child deaths, maternal mortality and disability in women.
"The direct links between infant, child and maternal death and disability and frequency and number of pregnancies is indisputable (and backed up by all international health agencies including WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA).
"The bottom line is that quality family planning services and modern, effective contraception benefit women, babies, children, families, communities and nations," he said. Prof Mola said PNG allowed special interest groups (like the Catholic bishops) to support particular methods of family planning.
"But it is disappointing to read the bishops say emotional and unscientific things about modern methods of family planning of proven efficacy and safety," he said.
"For example, labelling hormonal implants as ‘temporary sterilization’ is as inappropriate as labelling the ovulation method of family planning (which is based on periodic abstinence) as a sexually frustrating and marriage jeopardising method."
He said the bishops’ accusation that those who provide modern methods of family planning were ‘tampering with nature’ as another emotional phase, saying every day doctors and nurses were tampering with ‘natural’ outcomes, for example a heart attack.
"Modern family planning methods save lives. This is not an opinion: it is a fact,’’ said Prof Mola.
He questioned whether it was ethical to accept money from the Government to provide a full range of services and plan not to do it.
He said many organisations and individuals were going out of their way to provide family planning services denied to our people for so long, for which the Catholic Health Services should be thankful for not being able to do it.
Unlike what the bishops say, the medical doctor says that most couples want to plan their families.
The criticism comes from Professor Glen Mola, who is the head of reproductive health, obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Papua New Guinea’s school of medicine and health sciences.
Prof Mola said the Catholic Health Services, like other Christian church run health services is receiving an annual grant from the Government, but is not providing a full range of health services approved by the Health Department, thus denying the right of people living in the areas where the Catholic health services operates, to these services.
"It is the national health policy of Papua New Guinea to ensure the right of every PNG couple and individual to have the means to decide the size and spacing of their children and encourages them to do this responsibly taking into account the resources they have to provide adequately for their children,’’ he said.
He said it was a proven fact all over the world and in PNG that pregnancies spaced too closely lead to higher rates of child deaths, maternal mortality and disability in women.
"The direct links between infant, child and maternal death and disability and frequency and number of pregnancies is indisputable (and backed up by all international health agencies including WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA).
"The bottom line is that quality family planning services and modern, effective contraception benefit women, babies, children, families, communities and nations," he said. Prof Mola said PNG allowed special interest groups (like the Catholic bishops) to support particular methods of family planning.
"But it is disappointing to read the bishops say emotional and unscientific things about modern methods of family planning of proven efficacy and safety," he said.
"For example, labelling hormonal implants as ‘temporary sterilization’ is as inappropriate as labelling the ovulation method of family planning (which is based on periodic abstinence) as a sexually frustrating and marriage jeopardising method."
He said the bishops’ accusation that those who provide modern methods of family planning were ‘tampering with nature’ as another emotional phase, saying every day doctors and nurses were tampering with ‘natural’ outcomes, for example a heart attack.
"Modern family planning methods save lives. This is not an opinion: it is a fact,’’ said Prof Mola.
He questioned whether it was ethical to accept money from the Government to provide a full range of services and plan not to do it.
He said many organisations and individuals were going out of their way to provide family planning services denied to our people for so long, for which the Catholic Health Services should be thankful for not being able to do it.
Unlike what the bishops say, the medical doctor says that most couples want to plan their families.
PNG Today / Post Courier
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