written by Kaitlin Higgins
Hugh Naylor of The National is reporting that Israel has been accused of forcing birth control injections on Ethiopian immigrants. After ten years of a rapidly decreasing Ethiopian population in Israel, there had been a strong sense that it was by an intentional maneuver. Six groups consulted with the Israeli ministry of health, who are now urging gynecologists to ensure that women understand the uses and side effects of the contraceptive drug Depo-Provera. Otherwise, they are being instructed “not to renew prescriptions” of the drug to any woman for whom this is not clear.
Naylor writes:
“The drug, which is given by injection every three months, is considered by many doctors as a birth-control method of last resort because of problems treating its side effects.
The ministry’s response did not indicate whether explicit policy guidelines had been authorised or how long government-funded health facilities have been administering the drug to the Ethiopian women, or to how many.
In 2009, Ms Eyal supervised a study that showed 57 per cent of all Depo-Provera users in Israel were Ethiopian although their community comprised less than 2 per cent of the population.”
Read more at The National.
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