Reproductive rights in contraceptive practices.

In India, impoverished and illiterate women suffer from such low social status that they are unaware of their right to 1) experience a fulfilling sexual relationship free from fear of infection and disease; 2) choose whether or not to have children; and 3) receive family planning services, including safe abortion services. With only 37% married women of reproductive age using contraception, unwanted pregnancy is a major public health problem that leads to 5-6 million abortions each year, with many procedures carried out in unhygienic conditions. India's maternal mortality rate is 1/50 (as compared to 1/2700 in developed countries), and children under age 5 years have a doubled chance of death if their mothers die. Also, in order to promote healthy birth spacing and delay first births in young mothers, the practice of prolonged breast-feeding must be encouraged while appropriate contraceptives to increase birth intervals are introduced and new methods are developed for lactating women. Another challenge is to increase the use of male methods and develop a vaccine for male fertility regulation. Unmet need for contraception exists among 80% of married women in India, and efforts should be made to understand and respond to barriers to contraceptive adoption. In light of the rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, it is also important to study sex behavior, especially among adolescents, in order to devise appropriate prevention policies and programs.