Japan: Contraceptive Pill Now Legal
After thirty years of consideration, the Japanese government in early June approved the contraceptive pill for use in Japan. Up until now, Japan has been the only industrialized nation to forbid the use of the pill for contraceptive reasons, although high and medium dosage pills are legal in Japan for medical reasons.
There are many reasons why it has taken Japan this long to approve the pill, including concern over the often-serious side effects of the pill, worries that its use would lead to an increase in promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases, and environmental concerns. Another possible reason is a desire to protect the abortion business in Japan, which performed 337,799 abortions in 1997. The low-dose pill is expected to be available for sale by prescription in October, but will not be covered by national health insurance. Interest in the pill is not expected to be great at first, as many women are “wary” of it.
The Pharmaceutical Safety Bureau has had the pill under consideration for the past nine years. The deliberations were finalized alter criticism that Viagra was approved after only six months of consideration. (“Japanese women get the pill,” BBC News, 2 June 1999; “No pill yet for Japanese women,” BBC News, 3 March 1999.)
Australia: No Sale Harbor for Violated Chinese Women
An official of the Australian government has acknowledged that Australia has refused to grant asylum to several pregnant Chinese women fleeing their government’s forced abortion policy. At least three women have been deported, including Zhu Quing Ping, whose case made headlines in May when it was revealed that she was forcibly aborted upon her deportation to China in 1997, despite the assurances of the Chinese government that she would be allowed to keep her child.
Recent reports indicate that Zhu had to be sedated in order to get her to board the airplane that returned her to China. Australian Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock defended the deportations. “We’re talking here about people who were unlawfully in Australia and the responsibility under the Migration Act for people to be removed,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, He fails to note that Zhu Quing Ping accepted the decision to deport her, and only requested that it be delayed until after she had given birth to her child. One of the other women was six months pregnant, and the other a few weeks pregnant. It is unknown whether either already had a child. (“Australian Official Admits Pregnant Women Deported to China,” CWNews, 24 June 1999.)
‘Fallen Away’ Italy Suffers Falling Birthrates
Italy was once a stronghold of the Catholic faith, which encourages couples to be generous in accepting children. Now, the fertility rate has fallen to a mere 1.19 children per woman. Of those children under 13 years old, more than half have only one sibling. Another 26.7% are the only child in their family. This decline in the fertility rate is changing the whole demographic structure of Italy.
At present, 21.3% of homes in Italy are single-occupant residences. Childless couples make up another 19.6%, while 10% of the population is part of a non-traditional family — single parents, cohabiting single people, or families formed as a result of remarriage of one or both spouses. Over time, these trends will become even more evident. By 2025, Italy will have the highest percentage of elderly of any nation in the world. The overall population of Italy will decline by 4.5 million people by the year 2024, with the under-fifteen age group experiencing the greatest decline in numbers. Sociologists are concerned about the impact that these changes will have on Italian society. Pierpaolo Donati, an Italian sociologist, believes these trends could cause a “generation of individualists, egotists, and a-social people” similar to that which has resulted from China’s one-child policy. Donati states, “Among us, there is no policy which makes the one child obligatory. But, in fact, it exists,” (“Italy Emulating ‘Chinese Model’ of Family,” Zenit, 19 May 1999, “In 2025 Italy will have the highest percentage of elderly in world,” Zenit, 24 May 1999.)
From AIDS to Sex-Ed
The AIDS epidemic is being used to promote increased sex education in Brazil and China. In Brazil, the targets of the program are small children, as young as four years of age. Brazilian AIDS prevention Coordinator Pedro Chequer has decided that teaching four year olds about sex will prevent unwanted pregnancies and the spread of AIDS. Opponents of the program have criticized the idea of “discussing sex among children still learning their ABCs.” In China, the sex education programs are aimed at teenagers, and are taking the place of regular classroom instruction. The South China Morning Post reported that schools are “scrapping educational lectures for stories and games such as blowing condoms like balloons.” Beginning this year, AIDS prevention courses will be a requirement at 15 colleges and universities in Shanghai. (“Sex Education used as AIDS Prevention Tool in Brazil and China,” UNWire, 21 June 1999.)
