As the President of Uganda Mr. Yoweri Museveni and his wife are preparing to test for HIV/AIDS today, there is a larger set of issues that need to be looked at to promote better family planning policies in this country.
These issues include giving girls and women the same opportunities as men to improve access to family planning methods and policies to fight against HIV/AIDS.
The President and his wife in this joint action to get tested portray that gender equality is important in ensuring women have improved access to family planning services and information.
Family planning can provide economic benefits to women and communities thus men should continue to create economic equalities for women, such as the opportunities to climb out of poverty and take control of their own reproductive health.
The preference for boys over girls is sadly still pervasive in some societies, demonstrated through practices such as female infanticide, providing insufficient food to girls, removing girls from school at a young age and sex-selective abortion. Let the example of Mrs. Museveni show that girls and women are relevant and can do as their husbands do.
Child marriage, which is deeply rooted in many social and cultural norms and is heavily influenced by poverty, is a major factor in gender inequality for women. Solving this problem is an important step toward removing the barriers that keep women from getting a good education and making the reproductive choices that are vital to their health.
Better access to family planning is critical to improving the lives of women and girls around the world. But to do so, we have to remember that making family planning accessible is more complex that making providers and supplies more convenient.
Update;
The first Lady never showed, she sent apologies that she had a backache and couldn’t make it to the clinic.
