As a young African woman, I believe that the article, “App-ropriate Contraception?” brings out the complexity of the matter of contraception access. What I want to note, though, is that choice is not always infinite, especially in countries where barriers to accessing information and services are a daily reality for most women. This is intensified by the fact that choice in the few instances where it is available is limited to what is in stock, especially for women and girls in the lower wealth quantile. So, the discussion of preference and even ideologically informed rejection of certain methods seems luxurious to me.

I see a contrast between the aspirational concept of family planning programs that respect an individual’s ability to choose what fits with their lifestyle, beliefs, needs and reproductive intentions and the reality of our time. According to the Kenya National Council on Population and Development, one in four currently married women in Kenya has an unmet need for family planning, a figure that has not diminished in more than a decade. This matches the global estimate of more than 200 million women globally with an unmet need for modern contraception.

While our feminist politics and aspirations may venture into futuristic discussions of choice, preference and even trends, it is important to note that these are not universal concepts or realities. Somewhere, there are women who are unable to have the choice to not be pregnant due to “stock outs.” In contrast to this article, often it is this stock limitation that curtails the choice to fulfill the basic human right of individuals to choose, freely and responsibly, the number, timing and spacing of their children.

Catherine Nyambura
Dandelion Kenya
Nakuru/Nairobi, Kenya