It is  common for parents in Jamaica to say that their child was a mistake. Many children have to live with the harsh reality, to know that they were the product of two persons who did not want them. Unplanned pregnancy and the harsh economic conditions are always reasons to justify this.

According to the International Family Planning Perspectives (2007)[1], “Barbados and Jamaica have high levels of sexual violence and unprotected sexual intercourse, particularly among young people”. The report also highlighted that “57% of pregnancies in Jamaica are unwanted or unplanned, and 20% of Jamaican women have experienced forced sexual intercourse”.

Like many developing countries, abortion remains an illegal act in Jamaica. Many women practice unsafe abortion. This is so because “abortion is highly restricted in this country, women with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies often resort to clandestine, unsafe abortions, which are a leading cause of disability and maternal mortality” (IFPP, 2007).

These figures maybe alarming to some upper-class families as they usually have one to two children. One female in a poor  community believe that this is as a result of the females in her community having little or no opportunity for constructive engagement in education, skills training or employment. As a result they engage in sexual activities on a regular basis. Generally, this is uncommon in families that are career driven and have specific goals to achieve. From observation another contributing factor is that a number of births in Jamaica are by teenage mothers, some of whom have not yet completed secondary school. The story is told of a woman in her mid-30s who went to have her baby delivered at a public hospital in (Kingston). It is said that she was in shock and felt ashamed when she realized that there was no one in her age group. Data from the Registrar General Department reveals that in 2004 “live births to mothers under 15 totaled 278”. To add to these births in the 15-19 age groups totaled 7,956. Together these births accounted for 8,234; which is 19.4% of all births in 2004. The figures for 2003 were also 19.4 per cent. While it is believed that these figures are decline, more needs to be done to address the situation urgently. The social costs of these alarming figures are many. These high births in young girls can have serious implications on the educational future of the young mothers. It increases the number of school dropouts, poverty, illiteracy and poor health.

In April of 2008 the Government of Jamaica implemented the free health care system. Every Jamaican is now in a position to access services free from public hospitals and clinics island-wide. With this ease in access, I believe Jamaican youth should utilize the services including family planning. One such is the Copper T intrauterine device (IUD). The Family Health International explains that “Copper T is safe and reversible, and requires little effort on the part of the user once inserted, and offers 10 years of prevention against pregnancy.”The IUD is quite an effective method and has a lower rate of complications than hormonal methods," Dr. Carlos Huezo, medical director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) highlighted.

Dr. Huezo further opines that “it is regrettable that its use is low in many countries. We need to create an awareness of the safety of the IUD and how effective it is." He also believes that "the most common misconception was that IUDs work by causing an abortion." "We also heard that the IUD causes cancer. This was a quite common perception, but it came as a surprise to researchers. Another concern is that the IUD moves outside the uterus and can travel as far as the heart or brain. This is just one of the many contraceptive mechanisms that are available free by the Jamaica Government. It is the responsibility of youth to seek information and access the services as the need arise. The Copper T in particular has a life span of over ten years. While it does not protect against viruses such as HIV, it goes a far way in protecting one from unwanted pregnancy. This is important for population control and economic development.

There are many short falls of government but when services are offered, we need to, as young people use them as much as possible. There is no right time to start having sex as we all have different ideas about sexual initiation. However, my advice is that we delay sex until our bodies are fully developed or be sure to use proper contraceptive (and protection) if we must. Above all if you can abstain, do so as it the only full prove contraceptive that exist presently.

[1] Volume 33, Number 4