Campaign against Injectable Contraceptives ...
Sama along with other women’s and health groups has been active in campaigning against the introduction and dissemination of injectable contraceptives Depo-Provera and Net-en as there is strong evidence of their long-term harmful effects, there is no conclusive information about their efficacy and they have been developed through unethical research. In a reality where the present health care infrastructre is inadequate to meet the basic requirements for proper screening, counselling, administration, follow-up and management of side-effects, the use of these injectables can cause irreversible and irreparable damage to women and their progeny’s health.
While the drug had been given a black box warning in the United States due to the health hazards it was evidenced to cause, Depo-Provera was marketed in India without adequate trials and follow up. The situation in India was marked by secrecy surrounding the clinical trials and the decisions to introduce these methods.
The campaign against injectable contraceptives has been taken forward through various ways like research, memorandums to government officials and bodies like the National Human Rights Commission, press conferences and protest demonstrations in all of which Sama has been an active participant. The intensive campaign launched by women’s groups and health activists has prevented the inclusion of Depo Provera and Net En in the family planning programme of the Government of India till now.
A Joint Memorandum by Women’s Groups opposing injectable contraceptives was sent to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on April 30, 2008 to urge them to disclose the findings of the Phase III trials of Net- En as the government was planning to go ahead with the Phase IV trials.
Sama continues to share experiences and strategies to widely disseminate the understanding of the linkages between population control and contraceptive technologies and continue efforts to update information regarding the health consequences arising from the use of injectables.