Women's Health in Egypt: Contraception, Abortion, and Health Outcomes

This report provides an overview of women's health issues in Egypt, focusing on contraception, abortion laws, and their impact on maternal health. It examines historical practices of contraception, including traditional methods and modern approaches like birth control pills and IUDs. The report analyzes the legal framework surrounding abortion, highlighting restrictive laws and their consequences, such as unsafe abortions and maternal mortality. It also discusses the role of family planning programs, government policies, and the challenges faced by women in accessing safe abortion services. The report references demographic and health surveys, policy documents, and research studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of women's health in Egypt, including the impact of child gender preferences, contraceptive side effects, and the efforts of the government and international organizations to improve women's reproductive rights.

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WOMEN’S HEALTH 1
Women's health issues are catching attention day-by-day. Many countries are conducting the
survey on women health status and nourishment. In Egypt, demographic and health survey
(EDHS) was conducted in 2005, which represent the household survey of 18134 women aged
15-49 years. It also provides information about health, fertility, family planning child and
maternal health and nutrition (Francis, W. 2016)
Women's access to contraception has adverse effects on women health and fertility. Declining
total fertility as a negative impact of contraception become an important factor in the mid-1980s.
Total fertility rate remains above three live birth per women in Egypt. But short birth intervals
has an adverse impact on women's health as well as infant health. They have consequences in the
form of proper nutrition and maternal recovery. Family planning campaign was conducting by
countries for optimal birth spacing. Optimal birth spacing can be achieved through the use of
contraceptives and family planning. Individual directly involved in unintended pregnancy
affected by health problems and indirectly affects the society as well which is a major problem of
public health, usage of contraceptive is a usual method most couples are using who avoiding
pregnancy. Every woman can find contraceptive method suited to their age in this ideal world
with numbers of contraceptive available in the market. Consequently, women adopted some
contraceptive method until she is no longer exposed to changing life circumstances and risks of
unintended pregnancy lead to change a different method.
Modern contraceptive leads to a reduction in unwanted pregnancy, high fertility, and maternal
mortality rates. Here is an indication that replacement level of fertility in Egypt pivots further
declines in martial fertility. This is resulting from a reduction in wanted fertility and expansion in
family planning program coverage. In Egypt, Total fertility rate falls from 3.9 to 3.1 from 1992
to 2005 respectively. But there are another factor as well which stimulates high population in
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Egypt, child gender discriminatory like son preferences, side-effects of contraceptive keep
people away from the policy of adopting two child norm.
Practices to access contraception
In Egypt first condoms were found in 1350BC which was made up of colored linen soaked in
olive oil, some of them were made from sheep membranes to prevent infectious diseases. Most
used contraception was birth control pills which contain hormones that are estrogens which
prevent the fetus growth. As pomegranate contain natural estrogen, Grinding pomegranate grains
also used to make contraceptive cones with the help of wax. Egyptian medical doctor's
prescribed crocodiles or elephant excrements mixed with honey, dates, or other substances used
in ointments as birth control almost 3800 years ago (Shaikh, B. T., Azmat, S. K., & Mazhar, A.
2013).
Law and policies
The idea of public funds for all Planned Parenthood was to adopt all over the world. Egypt
government sponsored programs that provide free contraception to citizens which include
condoms, birth control pills, and intra-uterine devices. Egypt starts publicly supported
educational programs in sexual health for adults and youth. In 1985, Egypt signed the treaty of
the committee on the elimination of discrimination against women. The policies and practices for
most basic reproductive health services in Egypt have become a social norm (Metwally, A. M.,
Saleh, R. M., Abdelhamed, A. M., Salama, S. I., Mores, C. W., Shaaban, F. A., & Azmy, O. M.
2015).
The Sexual Rights Initiative1 and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
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WOMEN’S HEALTH 3
Egypt fails to access safe and legal abortion services. According to international human rights
law constitution, Egyptian government violating women’s human rights by refusing the women’s
respect, protect and fulfill women’s right to access safe abortion services. In Egypt, there is the
contribution to women resort to unsafe and clandestine abortions and has negative impacts
associated with the criminalization of abortion. In fact, Egypt did not receive any
recommendations dealing with abortion or sexual and reproductive health more broadly till 2010
by the universal review process. However, abortion allows only to save women's life, according
to Egypt penal code and abortion is considered as the criminal offense by articles 260,261,262
and 263 in which exception was not clear that’s why abortion law in Egypt is one of the most
restrictive in the region.
The procedure of abortion become fear and legal penalties for health care providers as the
crimination of abortion.
In the article 29 of the physical code of ethics, abortions were regulated which states that
physicians are only allowed if two other specialists also approve that the procedure is necessary
o protect the pregnant women's health. Women medical attention kept unattended due to the
obligation of two specialized doctor's signature for a process of abortion. If there is an
emergency doctor permitted to perform the abortion by submitting a written report on medical
reason for the abortion.
Women found guilty according to article 262 of the penal code if she induced abortion and can
fix six to three years of imprisonment, as accessing abortion is against the law. During the unsafe
abortion, if the women died their families can files complaints and pursued legal cases. Cases for
using unsterilized tools which cause server consequences and resulted in the women’s death are
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submitted in criminal and cassation courts against unspecialized physicians, inexperienced
doctors or traditional birth attendants.
In 2008, a draft law in attempted to legalize abortion for rape and incest victims. But the law did
not pass, although it was approved by the parliament’s committee proposals and complaints, no
debate was on the law conduct by parliament’s constitutional and legislative affairs committee,
which is the next step after the proposal.
Effects on women’s health
Unsafe or clandestine abortions are common which leads to adverse consequences on women
health and sometimes women's death. The quality and experiences of services receive by
women's varies according to the social status thus, only wealthy women can buy safe safety.
There are three types of abortions techniques first is the most dangerous used indigenous
methods, the second method is biomedical abortion at clandestine clinics safer than the first one
and last when is most expensive and safest one biomedical abortion by gynecologists. Thus, poor
women face the highest risk by choosing most dangerous methods of abortion. The ministry
reports 4.6% of maternal death due to unsafe abortion practices in 2000, 4% in 2002 and 1,9% in
2006.
To safe women’s life and health improvement, Egypt government support by providing funds for
family planning program. Egypt has one of the highest rates of contraceptive use on the continent
at 59% of the population. Over the years, Egypt’s fertility rate has decreased rapidly, now at
about three children per children per childbearing woman.
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Reference
Francis, W. (2016). A Reputation to Maintain: Myths and Truths About Women’s Rights in
Egypt and Morocco. Global Majority E-Journal, 17.
Metwally, A. M., Saleh, R. M., Abdelhamed, A. M., Salama, S. I., Mores, C. W., Shaaban, F. A.,
& Azmy, O. M. (2015). Determinants of unintended pregnancy and its impact on the health of
women in some governorates of Upper Egypt. Journal of The Arab Society for Medical
Research, 10(1), 1
Shaikh, B. T., Azmat, S. K., & Mazhar, A. (2013). Family planning and contraception in Islamic
countries: a critical review of the literature. JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical
Association, 63(4 Suppl 3), S67-72.
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