Paying for Birth Control
Poverty may be defined as that state in which the income coming in the household is not enough to supply the family’s needs for food, utility and other household expenses. When a standard sized family generates income that is lower than the food and household expenses, it may be considered a problem, a problem faced by many families in most countries worldwide (Perales and Young 22).
Like any other problems that exist in the world, there are many things that can contribute to the existence of poverty. The situation may be based on educational background where the supposed bread winner, due to not very impressive educational attainment, cannot get a high-paying job. It may also be grounded on the family composition, a broken family wherein the mother is the only earner in the home, or an intact family with too many children that the income coming in cannot support (Perales and Young 22-27).
One reason for the increasing number of people experiencing poverty is unplanned having of children; as such, one of the solutions proposed is that the government should extend financial incentives to impoverished women who use contraceptive devices. This is believed to have a high probability of working, and may cause for a decline on the rate of poverty by controlling the household size and the over-all society population (Perales and Young 27). However, the proposal remains controversial as it may directly affect the reproductive status of many poor women.
With the luring effect of this proposal, many women might actually opt for it without looking for other options. Instead of opting for natural birth control methods, they may choose artificial devices that may prevent conception and birth of another child into a poor family. Also, poor young-adults may opt for sexual activity with reported usage of contraception rather than abstinence in order to get the promised financial support (Brown and Leisenberg 98).
Despite these issues, the probability of it to work is still higher than the rate of it causing more poverty cases and thus should be taken into account. The program should be pursued especially because arguments supporting it are more reasonable and as such outnumber those who are against it. One reason is that it may very effective since according to statistics, there are more poor women than poor men and that women and poverty are directly related. This fact already points out that the proposal targets the correct subject and thus may be considered on the right track (Perales and Young 27 and 55)
Another reason is that the supposition that poor women may be easily drawn in by financial offering for an act that may also benefit them may further increase the rate of cooperation and the expected effectiveness of the program. The need for money and the knowledge that controlled family size may change their lives may serve as strong motivations for the target population to participate. Also, the notion that there is limited access to prenatal services if they get pregnant makes the idea of prevented pregnancy a better alternative (Perales and Young 57-59)
In addition, 44 percent of unintended pregnancies are committed by 60 percent of women living in poverty. This rate may be gradually decreased by a financially motivated use of birth control devices. This decline in the rate of unintended pregnancy may also lead to a decline in the number of births to unwanted children (Brown and Eisenberg 12).
Given these information, the program proposal for offering financial support for poor women for them to be able to use contraceptives is indeed controversial. This is because the issue is inflicted with health reasons and personal inclinations such as those who are against the use of contraceptives adhere to more conservative options in birth control.
However, this does not undermine the reality that it is very disheartening to see a child born into a poor family, which may inevitably lead to a life in poverty. As such, the program, despite its issues may only be pursuing for a better life for both the mother and the future infant. Therefore, any kind of support may be considered as an extension of concern to a fellow citizen and a future fellow citizen.
Works Cited
Brown, Sarah S., Eisenberg, Leon, Institute of Medicine (U.S) Committee on Unintended Pregnancy. The Best Intentions: Unintended Pregnancy and the Well-being of Children and Families. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press, 1995.
Perales, Cesar A., Lauren S. Young. Women, Health, and Poverty: Dealing With the Health Needs of Women in Poverty. Philadelphia, Haworth Press: 1989.