ICT 3006- Professional Issues

Impacts of Birth Control

In

Sri Lanka (Proposal)

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Impacts of Birth Control in Sri Lanka

Introduction

Despite its low level of per capita income, Sri Lanka has managed to achieve the lowest level

of fertility in South Asia. Sri Lanka uses various policies to control its’ population. Sri

Lankan government indirectly participated to control its population from 1948 to 1965. Sri

Lankan Government accepted family planning as a national policy as far back as 1965 in a

concerted governmental effort to control population growth as well as reduce maternal

mortality, infant mortality and malnutrition. Most recently Sri Lankan government uses

various family planning methods, well prompted birth control programs to control its’

population. Considering about birth control, Sri Lankan family planning centers advise to use

various birth control methods such as continuous abstinence, natural family planning, barrier

methods, hormonal methods, permanent birth control methods, etc.

Legal Issues:

Sri Lanka does not have much legal issues for birth controlling. Most of the time government

indirectly supports birth controlling by its family planning programs. But government

hospitals provide support for sterilization by doing Ligation and Resection of Tube (LRT)

operations.

Considering about Roman Catholics and Islam’s they have prohibited birth controlling by

their religion. Others don’t have such special policies like directly prohibiting birth

controlling.

Effecting Parties:

These will effects on whole society because we are engaging with human resources of the

country. Any Married couples, unmarried couples or Youngsters will affected directly by this

matter. Recently different ethnic and religious groups are directly engaged with this problem.

Methods:

Use various birth control methods such as continuous abstinence, natural family planning,

barrier methods, hormonal methods, permanent birth control methods, Ormeloxifene

(Centchroman), intrauterine methods, Emergency contraception, abortion (for special medical

reasons) etc.

Regulating Parties:

Birth control is a very sensitive issue. It is opposed by some groups. Hence, even if

governments are able to see the problems that arise from an increasing population on

deforestation and decreases sustain the economic development, there would be resistance

from religious groups. Most recently Sri Lankan religious groups show their resistance over

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birth controlling due to the decrease of Sinhalese and Buddhists percentage. Those groups

complain to the government under guise of providing family planning assistance have

directed Sinhala women into Ligation and Resection of Tube (LRT) operations, with the

intention of reducing the Sinhalese community from a majority to a minority community in

Sri Lanka. Also those religious groups complain about Muslims and their population growth

rate. Finally this can be lead to arise racial issues in Sri Lanka.

Educating our population regarding population and birth control and its effect on the demand

for more land, which in turn means more deforestation is of utmost importance in finding

solutions to the deforestation issue. Then perhaps the population-deforestation equation can

be made to balance better.

Facts

Positive

By having low population it can help to improve the development state of the country.

Since we know still Sri Lanka is a developing country and it provide free education

from primary to university level, free health facilities, etc. so having a huge

population government have to spend more on maintain the nation.

Also having a big population it can cause to raise racial issues such as conflicts and

violence when building places of worship, be it a temple, church or a mosque.We can

use birth control methods to avoid teenage pregnancies, reduce maternal mortality,

infant mortality and malnutrition.

The literature seems more focused on avoiding poverty and protecting the earth rather

than concern about the population. Birth control is not normally thought about as a

child devaluation issue; instead promoters (sometimes well intentioned) believe that

birth control achieves better economic, educational, cultural, societal, development

and health circumstances in Sri Lanka.

Negative

Human resource is a valuable and the most important resource to country. We cannot

directly say by having a huge population we cannot achieve the development goals in

Sri Lanka.

We can take human resource as bless to our country. Also by applying various birth

control methods they can be harmful to humans to some extent. Like hormone

disorders, uterine cancers. Birth control methods can cause to arise some diseases and

difficulties and most of the time women affected to those conditions.

This issue is proposed to evaluate and give ethical decision concluding what is the most

ethical option that Sri Lankan Government can take. We have analyzed the positive and

negative impacts on the Sri Lankan society regarding on the Birth Controlling.

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References

1. LankaWeb – Social Balance and Population growth control. 2013. LankaWeb – Social

Balance and Population growth control. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2013/02/26/social-balance-and-population-

growth-control/. [Accessed 06 June 2013].

2. Ceylon Today | BoduBalaSena, Population Control and Reproductive Rights. 2013.

Ceylon Today | BoduBalaSena, Population Control and Reproductive Rights.

[ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ceylontoday.lk/51-28348-news-detail-bodu-bala-

sena-population-control-and-reproductive-rights.html. [Accessed 06 June 2013].

3. Controlling population growth in Sri ... [Sir Lanka J Popul Stud. 1998] - PubMed -

NCBI. 2013. Controlling population growth in Sri ... [Sir Lanka J Popul Stud. 1998] -

PubMed - NCBI. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12294268. [Accessed 06 June 2013].

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Group Members

No Name Index Number Register Number

01 Charaka Hettiarachchi 10020942 2010/ICT/094

02 W.L.A.T.A.Lakmali 10021086 2010/ICT/108

03 D.M.D.M Wijesundara 10020926 2010/ICT/092

Supposed Review Group

No Name Index Number

01 W.H Kodituwakku 10020782

02 A.A.S Udeshini 10020901

03 H.W. Wickaramaarachchi 10021116