Shying away from sex talk ‘costs lives’ – Graça Machel

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Shying away from sex talk ‘costs lives’ – Graça Machel

2:46 CAT | 16 Jun 2016

Sunday Times (File photo) / Graça Machel

Taboos about discussing sex must be overcome to save lives, says Graça Machel.

“This is the only way to go. We talk about sex, unless we are saying it is okay for thousands of people to die,” Machel told the Women Deliver conference on Saturday, May 14, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Machel, widow of former president Nelson Mandela and founder of the Graça Machel Trust, which campaigns for women’s and children’s rights, was responding to new findings on adolescent use of contraception.

The Guttmacher Institute found that the second-leading cause of death globally among women aged 15 to 19 was complications in pregnancy and childbirth.

Of the 21 million pregnancies in young women in that age group in the developing world expected this year, almost half will be unintended.

Of the 38 million adolescent women who need contraception in developing regions 60% do not use it. In Africa, the figure is almost 70%.

Akinrinola Bankole, international research director of the Guttmacher Institute , said it would cost R330 a year to meet the contraceptive needs of each adolescent female.

“This investment would bring down unintended pregnancies by 6million.

“There would be 2.1million fewer unplanned births, about 3million fewer abortions, and more than 5,500 girls’ lives would be saved, Bankole said.

Said Machel: “People say taboos and social norms stop families and educators from talking about this because it relates to sex.

“But I believe when people hear how detrimental this is they can change.”

Source: Times Live