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Is Pakistan ready for a male contraceptive pill?

Is Pakistan ready for a male contraceptive pill?

contraceptive-pill-for-men-dawn-450.jpg

Gendarussa – a male contraceptive pill being produced in Indonesia. – Photo courtesy author

Indonesia, the world’s “poster child” for family planning is geared up for another breakthrough.

At the Airlangga Universitas in Surabaya, Indonesia, the world’s first non-hormonal contraceptive pill for males has entered its third phase of clinical trials and will be ready to reach the shelves soon. While the research for creating the pill was launched under the leadership of Professor Bambang Prijogo in 1987 and funded by BkkbN – Indonesia’s family planning body, small-scale production has been launched by a herbal medicine company called Naturoz.

Justicia Gendarussa, an innocent-looking shrub next door, is what these pills are made of. It is mostly found in Papua, Indonesia. The pill, according to Bambang, “disturbs the enzyme system of spermatozoa” and affects its “function, capacity, migration, binding and inhibition.” Simply put, the shrub weakens the ability of the sperm to penetrate an ovum during intercourse.

Once this pill is available world over, would it be a good idea to introduce it in Pakistan, the world’s fifth most populous nation? This World Population Day, Pakistan’s current population clock has ticked past 180121027 (as of July 10, 2012), according to the Population Census Organization of the Government of Pakistan. The Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2007 shows that only 30 per cent of married women use any form of contraception. It would be safe to assume that the percentage of males using contraceptives would be much lower, if not entirely negligible.

Barring condoms and natural methods like Coitus Interruptus (withdrawal method), men mostly are out of the contraceptive game, and even these two methods are used with a lot of reluctance. Vasectomy, a permanent contraceptive technique, is a no-no for many reasons: it is more invasive, it is not allowed by most religions and it takes away the feeling of being ‘in control’ for men. As for female contraceptives, more mythical and less real side-effects make it a less than ideal choice for people. In a country like Pakistan where the FP decisions are still made by the man of the house and the mother-in-law, particularly in the under-privileged and rural setup where FP is most needed, the eventual result is more children than the family can handle and in turn, more children than Pakistan can possibly handle.

In such a scenario, if the Gendarussa pill were to be introduced in Pakistan, it could be a break through. Free of harmful side-effects, it can be the solution to many problems, but men have their reservations. An unnamed interviewee admitted his reluctance to use the pill despite his wife’s openness to the idea. “I have two reservations. Firstly, what if it causes impotency or effects my sexual performance? Even if the label says there are no side effects, this will always be at the back of my mind. Secondly, is it really a fool-proof contraceptive method?”

Conspiracy theories and myths regarding contraceptives being introduced as ploys to reduce male virility and fertility in general are common. Judging from the reaction polio vaccination campaigns and iodized salt met in Pakistan, it would not be an easy option for males to accept. It was interesting to note that men interviewed were very scared of the possible side effects, especially the possible effects on sexual performance or fertility in the long run. However, the pill’s trials indicate quite the opposite. Turns out that Ganderussa does affect sexual performance, by acting as an ‘enhancer.’ The effect is also temporary and reversible once the pill is discontinued.

“A major concern would be that my fertility is not permanently hampered. If there are no side-effects, I have no issues using it, especially when I compare it to using the condom, which I do not prefer,” says one interviewee, who believes that the couple are a team who should decide mutually and work in collaboration. Why, then, are men not comfortable when presented with this option. “Mostly, it is the ego of us males that gets in the way of using contraception. But men should realise that a woman bears the child for nine months, feeds and takes care of the children – his children! If she can do that, why can’t he take a simple pill?”

Women, when asked, were excited about the idea. Somewhere, they felt that now the ball could be in the men’s court, and that the women would not have to be singly responsible for using contraceptives. Yet, they also expressed their apprehensions that their men could not be trusted to take the pill regularly. “If he skips it or lies about taking it, it is me who is going to end up pregnant yet again,” says an unnamed mother of four.
Contraception methods are against Islam and these things can't be allowed in Muslim society and these things can also lead to increase in sex outside marriage or before marriage both are biggest crimes in Islam and have really severe punishments for doing these kind of acts
 
Contraception methods are against Islam and these things can't be allowed in Muslim society and these things can also lead to increase in sex outside marriage or before marriage both are biggest crimes in Islam and have really severe punishments for doing these kind of acts

Not true
While Islam encourages people to have kids, contraception is not against Islam. The Prophet never prohibited it.
Abortion on the other hand is anti Islamic if it's not done for a medical reason.
 
Will the count increase? or is the effect permanent.

It is true that men dont like rubber :P
 
Contraception methods are against Islam and these things can't be allowed in Muslim society and these things can also lead to increase in sex outside marriage or before marriage both are biggest crimes in Islam and have really severe punishments for doing these kind of acts
Is it in the Quran?
Have you read a Hadiath specifically mentioning Condoms?
 
Is it in the Quran?
Have you read a Hadiath specifically mentioning Condoms?
Sir when you judge a current issue you judge it in the light of Quran and Sunnah and Quran and Sunnah encourage to have more and more children for for example once a person came to HAZRAT MUHAMMAD SAW and said I want to marry a girl but the problem is that in their family women mostly produce few children HAZRAT MUHAMMAD SAW became angry and turned his face away and he used to do it when he used to get really very angry and than he said marry those who love you more and produce more children

Not true
While Islam encourages people to have kids, contraception is not against Islam. The Prophet never prohibited it.
Abortion on the other hand is anti Islamic if it's not done for a medical reason.
Sir it is against Islam and its over all behaviour
 
Such a silly news...what it has to do with pakistan...why not india,bangladesh etc...indians on full time trolling moods will post stupid comments here again..
Now if a Pakistani reporter reports this news in pakistani paper seeing the benifit of it in pakistani context then its not my fault.

and is this news defence related as this a Pak defence forum not health related forum..the height of stupidity from indians
check the section in which i 've posted it.it truly deserve to be posted in Social issue.coz its one of the important social issues.And regarding posting about indian social issues create a section.i'll do it mostly it goes into member's corner.Let such equivalent news come.
 
Sir when you judge a current issue you judge it in the light of Quran and Sunnah and Quran and Sunnah encourage to have more and more children for for example once a person came to HAZRAT MUHAMMAD SAW and said I want to marry a girl but the problem is that in their family women mostly produce few children HAZRAT MUHAMMAD SAW became angry and turned his face away and he used to do it when he used to get really very angry and than he said marry those who love you more and produce more children



Sir it is against Islam and its over all behaviour

Where is it written?
In what context?
Where is it?
Show me.
 
this thread is going to invite a lot of trolling,just wait and watch
and yes it is not related to defence news
This section is social section hence this news item is here.this is not defence section.
 
Where is it written?
In what context?
Where is it?
Show me.
It is written in Books of Hadees go read them and their are lot of other cases that shows over all behaviour of Islam is against use of contraceptive methods and these methods will also increase Zina and other crimes which have really serious consequences in Islam

Islam encourages marriage, and the main purpose of marriage in Islam is to have children. But there are times when a couple may not want to have children. So what are the Islamic views on contraception and birth control? Well, let’s read on to find out.

General Islamic Ruling on Contraception and Birth Control
In general, most forms of contraception and birth control are forbidden. But since Islam is a complete religion, we have the benefit of the Quran, the hadith and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the companions, and many learned scholars to help us come to an informed decision.

First, any sort of permanent birth control that is not for medical reasons is forbidden. So any medical procedure that leads to complete sterilization and is not medically required, is not allowed. This goes against the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad and if not done for medical reasons, is usually done for vain, selfish or impractical purpose.

For instance, some people have the foolish notion that the world is becoming overpopulated and the earth’s resources are running out. But Allah has made His earth bountiful, and if we trust in Him, there is certainly enough food and water and air to go around.

Wherever there is starvation in the world, there is needless gluttony and waste elsewhere. So the problem is not a lack of resource but a lack of compassion for those who are less fortunate than us.

How can Zakah ease world suffering?

Now, let’s look at the different types of birth control and the rulings on each of them.

Surgical Contraception
There are two primary forms of surgical contraception:

Vasectomy – Where the Vas deferens of a man are cut and tied to prevent the passage of sperm from the testicles to the semen. This procedure allows a man to have intercourse and ejaculate, but not transfer sperm to his wife, hence she will not get pregnant.
Hysterectomy – This procedure involves surgically removing the uterus from a woman. This results in permanent sterilization for the woman.
Vasectomy

It is not permissible for a man to have a vasectomy. There is no medical reason that warrants such a procedure. Hence, every reputable scholar in Islam has ruled that vasectomies are haram, or forbidden. The only reason a man would want to have such a procedure is to have sex without the responsibility of rearing children.

Hysterectomy

Hysterectomies are the most common gynecological procedure done in the United States, with over half a million performed each year. Most of these are not for serious medical reasons. It is not permissible for women to have a hysterectomy for any reason except where getting pregnant may endanger her life. So, if having children may kill the mother, and there is no hope of curing or reversing this condition, then it is permissible for her to have her uterus removed.

Medical Contraception
Medical contraceptions are birth control methods that typically disrupt the natural hormonal or menstrual cycle of a woman in order to prevent pregnancy. There are many different forms of medical contraception, most of them temporary. But there are also a few permanent ones.

Temporary Birth Control

These include the Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill, aka “The Pill,” patches, and other drugs that temporarily prevent birth.

In Islam, these methods are usually prohibited unless both of the following conditions are met:

There is a medical reason for doing so.
The husband agrees.
Permanent Sterilization

For the permanent methods, like the Coil, these take the same ruling as having a hysterectomy. It is permissible if there is a life-threatening medical reason.

Physical Contraception
Physical methods of birth control are those that do not alter the body in any way and simply prevent the sperm from meeting the egg. These include methods like condoms, diaphragms, and coitus interrupts (withdrawal).

There is a hadith related by Jaabir that says:

We used to engage in coitus interruptus at the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). News of that reached the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he did not forbid us to do that.

Related by Bukhari and Muslim

“Coitus Interruptus” is when the man withdraws from the woman before ejaculation. From the above hadith, we can see that our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not forbid this practice, hence it is permissible. Since condoms and diaphragms essentially perform the same function, they are both allowed also.

However, the man should only use these methods in agreement with his wife as she has the right to bear children if she wants. And we should also understand that the companions of Prophet Muhammad usually used this method to prevent their slaves from getting pregnant, as the following hadith shows:

O Messenger of Allaah, I have a slave woman and I engage in ‘azl with her, because I do not want her to get pregnant, but I want what men want. But the Jews say that ‘azl is a lesser form of infanticide.” He said, “The Jews are lying. If Allaah wants to create (a child) you cannot prevent that.

Narrated by Abu Dawud.

Despite being allowed, many scholars believe these methods to be makruh, or disliked. In other words, it is better to avoid them if possible, though there is no sin in them. This comes from the following hadith:

Marry women who are loving and fertile, for I will be proud of your great number before the other nations on the Day of Resurrection.

Narrated by Abu Dawud.

From this we can see that it is better for us to have as many children as Allah allows us to bear.

In today’s world we deal with many things that were not present during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Nonetheless, we have the guidance of the Quran, sunnah, and righteous scholars to help us find our way through these difficult situations.

In the end, we must all put our faith and trust in Allah, and ask His guidance and forgiveness in any decisions we make.

And Allah knows best.
 
ajtr is clearly an Internet Hindu with too much time on his hands.
I'm internet hindu?-not sure.but than thanks for zara nawazi for confirming such a huge prestigious title on me:)
I've lot of free times at hand ?-sure i've.situation is like that ony.lot s of time to kill.
He's been opening so many troll threads lately.
I hope his fellow internet Hindus are seeing this since they deny that they open up so many troll threads.
Troll threads are all in members sections.this is not troll thread .its a serious social issue and u are making it troll thread.
 
It is written in Books of Hadees go read them and their are lot of other cases that shows over all behaviour of Islam is against use of contraceptive methods and these methods will also increase Zina and other crimes which have really serious consequences in Islam

Islam encourages marriage, and the main purpose of marriage in Islam is to have children. But there are times when a couple may not want to have children. So what are the Islamic views on contraception and birth control? Well, let’s read on to find out.

General Islamic Ruling on Contraception and Birth Control
In general, most forms of contraception and birth control are forbidden. But since Islam is a complete religion, we have the benefit of the Quran, the hadith and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the companions, and many learned scholars to help us come to an informed decision.

First, any sort of permanent birth control that is not for medical reasons is forbidden. So any medical procedure that leads to complete sterilization and is not medically required, is not allowed. This goes against the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad and if not done for medical reasons, is usually done for vain, selfish or impractical purpose.

For instance, some people have the foolish notion that the world is becoming overpopulated and the earth’s resources are running out. But Allah has made His earth bountiful, and if we trust in Him, there is certainly enough food and water and air to go around.

Wherever there is starvation in the world, there is needless gluttony and waste elsewhere. So the problem is not a lack of resource but a lack of compassion for those who are less fortunate than us.

How can Zakah ease world suffering?

Now, let’s look at the different types of birth control and the rulings on each of them.

Surgical Contraception
There are two primary forms of surgical contraception:

Vasectomy – Where the Vas deferens of a man are cut and tied to prevent the passage of sperm from the testicles to the semen. This procedure allows a man to have intercourse and ejaculate, but not transfer sperm to his wife, hence she will not get pregnant.
Hysterectomy – This procedure involves surgically removing the uterus from a woman. This results in permanent sterilization for the woman.
Vasectomy

It is not permissible for a man to have a vasectomy. There is no medical reason that warrants such a procedure. Hence, every reputable scholar in Islam has ruled that vasectomies are haram, or forbidden. The only reason a man would want to have such a procedure is to have sex without the responsibility of rearing children.

Hysterectomy

Hysterectomies are the most common gynecological procedure done in the United States, with over half a million performed each year. Most of these are not for serious medical reasons. It is not permissible for women to have a hysterectomy for any reason except where getting pregnant may endanger her life. So, if having children may kill the mother, and there is no hope of curing or reversing this condition, then it is permissible for her to have her uterus removed.

Medical Contraception
Medical contraceptions are birth control methods that typically disrupt the natural hormonal or menstrual cycle of a woman in order to prevent pregnancy. There are many different forms of medical contraception, most of them temporary. But there are also a few permanent ones.

Temporary Birth Control

These include the Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill, aka “The Pill,” patches, and other drugs that temporarily prevent birth.

In Islam, these methods are usually prohibited unless both of the following conditions are met:

There is a medical reason for doing so.
The husband agrees.
Permanent Sterilization

For the permanent methods, like the Coil, these take the same ruling as having a hysterectomy. It is permissible if there is a life-threatening medical reason.

Physical Contraception
Physical methods of birth control are those that do not alter the body in any way and simply prevent the sperm from meeting the egg. These include methods like condoms, diaphragms, and coitus interrupts (withdrawal).

There is a hadith related by Jaabir that says:

We used to engage in coitus interruptus at the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). News of that reached the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he did not forbid us to do that.

Related by Bukhari and Muslim

“Coitus Interruptus” is when the man withdraws from the woman before ejaculation. From the above hadith, we can see that our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not forbid this practice, hence it is permissible. Since condoms and diaphragms essentially perform the same function, they are both allowed also.

However, the man should only use these methods in agreement with his wife as she has the right to bear children if she wants. And we should also understand that the companions of Prophet Muhammad usually used this method to prevent their slaves from getting pregnant, as the following hadith shows:

O Messenger of Allaah, I have a slave woman and I engage in ‘azl with her, because I do not want her to get pregnant, but I want what men want. But the Jews say that ‘azl is a lesser form of infanticide.” He said, “The Jews are lying. If Allaah wants to create (a child) you cannot prevent that.

Narrated by Abu Dawud.

Despite being allowed, many scholars believe these methods to be makruh, or disliked. In other words, it is better to avoid them if possible, though there is no sin in them. This comes from the following hadith:

Marry women who are loving and fertile, for I will be proud of your great number before the other nations on the Day of Resurrection.

Narrated by Abu Dawud.

From this we can see that it is better for us to have as many children as Allah allows us to bear.

In today’s world we deal with many things that were not present during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Nonetheless, we have the guidance of the Quran, sunnah, and righteous scholars to help us find our way through these difficult situations.

In the end, we must all put our faith and trust in Allah, and ask His guidance and forgiveness in any decisions we make.

And Allah knows best.
There is some confusion about Permanent an temporary methods and those which changes harmonal balance.And when you say Allah knows best then you are not sure about what you are preaching.
 

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