By Hwaa Irfan

11/05/2001

Our children are our future, and women are the vehicles for reaching that future. As women, however, we expend energy being afraid about providing instead of having faith in Allah's (SWT) promise to provide for us, and that fear makes us vulnerable to many abuses. 

Recently, a joint study by the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Population Council looked at 8,000 Norplant contraceptive users and found that they had experienced no serious side effects. In addition, Norplant was found to have a success rate as a contraceptive device of 99% annually (Reuters, p.1). 

Norplant is a matchstick-sized silicon capsule that is implanted in sets of six into a woman's upper arm to prevent pregnancy for up to five years. The capsules contain progesterone that is slowly released in order to inhibit the release of eggs from the ovaries. Its simplicity as a contraceptive method lies in the belief that once the set is implanted, it can be forgotten about for five years until it is time for it to be removed.

The release of progesterone also causes changes in the lining of the uterus and in the cervical mucus. 

The announcement in the international media that Norplant was safe came after its removal from the U.S. market for over six months. However, in reaching this conclusion, it appears that there was not sufficient regard for possible health concerns as one study acknowledged that "slightly higher rates of high blood pressure and gallbladder disease occur in Norplant users" than in controlled groups who use other forms of contraceptives including sterilization (Reuters, p. 1). 

The countries that were involved in the study were Bangladesh, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The Population Council reported that 10.5 million Norplant kits have been distributed worldwide - raising many concerns about future female fertility rates, particularly among low-income women in developing countries. 

The West has studied Norplant for over 20 years - mostly in developing countries - in standard clinical trials and pre-natal introductory clinical trials to assess its safety, efficacy, and acceptability. 

A BBC Horizon documentary, "The Human Laboratory," revealed eyesight disorders, strokes, persistent bleeding and problems with removal among women using Norplant. One woman complained, "Suddenly, my body became weak… quite suddenly. I couldn't get up, couldn't take care of my children. I couldn't cook and I was bed-ridden... In six months, about 12 times. Yes, about 12 times. I went to the clinic and pleaded, 'I'm having so many problems. I'm confined to bed most of the time. Please, remove it!'" (BBC, p. 1). 

Many of the side effects have either not been reported or not recorded. Farida Akhter said, "If you look at the trial, it looks as if these women are no better than a guinea pig - and a guinea pig, perhaps, is more expensive in the West; that's why our women are cheaper here..." (BBC, p. 6).

The same attitude was reflected in the United States when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for its use in the 1990's. Judges and legislators were attempting to mandate its use for particular groups of women - regardless of the possible dangers to their health (American Civil Liberties Union, p. 1). The State of Michigan's Medicaid program and DSS financed 10,769 implants from July 1992 to June 1994 (Detroit News, p.1).

More than a third of the low-income women who received state financial aid to have the Norplant devices implanted had them removed early. LaSheree Pinder, who joined an Illinois lawsuit in 1995, said she suffered headaches and hair loss after the removal of Norplant. 

In 1999, a compensation claim by 275 British women against U.K. distributors, Hoest Marion Roussel, collapsed after the Legal Aid Board withdrew its funding. Complaints of plaintiffs included lengthy menstrual cycles, hair loss, mood swings, migraines, blurred vision, and difficulties in removal. In their statement on its possible side effects, U.S. distributors Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories said they were "routine and normal" (Reuters, p. 2). Other reported side effects ranged from irregular bleeding, prolonged periods, light periods, acne, depression, prolonged time between periods, weight changes, and headaches. Norplant cannot be used by women with liver disease, breast cancer, unexplained uterine bleeding, blood clots, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, elevated cholesterol, irregular periods, light periods, headaches, heart disease and seizure disorders. 

The American Medical Association, in condemning the forced use of Norplant, said that its use has brought up "serious questions about a person's fundamental right to refuse medical treatment, to be free of cruel and unusual punishment, and to procreate.… Society must be careful about taking shortcuts to save resources when constitutional rights are involved" (American Liberties Union, p.2). Taking into consideration the fact that the impetus for encouraging its use lies in concerns about global population growth, this statement becomes even more meaningful. 

The proceedings of a conference held by the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg in 1970 stated, "European population represented 17.5% of the world population in 1920 and is projected to drop to 8.6% by 2000. The populations of Western Europe are old. The birth rate has fallen by about 10% and it has not yet been proved that this is due to any marked behavior change...the use of the pill is not enough to explain the drop." 

This thinking did not stop in 1970. In the 1995 BBC Horizon documentary, Professor Betsy-Hartmann said, " At the highest levels in Washington, population growth in the Third World has long been perceived as a national security threat. During the Cold War, of course, public fear and paranoia often focused on the nuclear bomb; however, in the post-Cold War period, we're having the population bomb re-emerging as a threat. Does this mean that Norplant will soon be promoted as a weapon in the war against population growth? Colleagues and I have looked through declassified documents and found, much to our horror, that at the highest levels of government, this has been an obsession. It's not just in the case of the United States' government, but there are also a whole range of private foundations that are funding the building of a population control movement. One private organization is run by two doctors from America's southern states who believe they've found the answer for the Third World women in a drug called Quinacrine (BBC). 

The arena of The Gladiators might explain how world powers can look on whilst the genocide of Muslims takes place across the world. It might explain their obsession with the human genome and human cloning. It might explain a lot of things that happen while, behind the scenes, only a well-briefed few act as puppeteers for the rest of us puppets! 

Allah (SWT) has said, "Allah's is the kingdom of the Heavens and the earth; He creates what He pleases; He grants to whom He pleases daughters, and grants to whom He pleases sons" (Sura The Counsel, Ayat 49). 

Sources

American Civil Liberties Union. "Norplant: A New Contraceptive With The Potential For 
Abuse" Online.  

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