Family is not just a household but a microcosm of the entire social fabric. Changing economic conditions, inflation, health issues, and increasing expenses have made it necessary to consider family planning not just as a way to “reduce the number of children,” but as a vital means of family health and a better future. It doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t have children. The primary purpose is for the husband and wife to decide on the appropriate time and number of children, taking into account their age, health, and family needs.
In the backward areas of rural Punjab, there is little awareness of the concept of ‘spacing’ between pregnancies. Due to this level of ignorance, the mother’s health is affected. According to doctors and health experts, if an appropriate gap is maintained between children, the mother has time to recover, improve her health, and the next child is born healthier.
In our culture, women are often expected to perform all household chores, child-rearing, and sometimes even farming or laboring. If a child is born every year or two, it has a very negative impact on their physical and mental health. Anemia, weakness, depression, and pregnancy complications are common. Poor and poorly-off families have less access to adequate health care, leaving both mother and child at greater risk.
A major benefit of family planning is the health of children. When parents prioritize having fewer children, they receive better food, training, and health care. In most of Punjab, unemployment and inflation are making it difficult for families to meet basic needs. If a working or middle-aged person takes on the responsibility of six or seven children, providing basic necessities like food and education to each child becomes difficult. The result is that children drop out of school, work at a younger age, and suffer from health issues. On the contrary, if the family is balanced, parents can give more attention and care to each child. Research also shows that birth spacing reduces infant and under-five mortality.
Many women keep conceiving children, due to family and social pressure, until they produce a male child. This affects both the woman’s health and the family’s overall well-being. Studies have revealed that many women desire family planning, but their husbands or families do not support it.
Family planning also reduces domestic stress. When expenditures are high and income is limited, tension between couples increases. Financial stress, education and health expenses, and daily needs can lead to family conflicts. Planned families foster greater emotional bonding and family harmony because the pressure on parents is comparatively less.
Family planning must be viewed as a health strategy. This is not just an issue for individual families but is linked to the well-being of the entire society. Only a healthy mother, a healthy child, and a financially stable family can become the foundation of a stronger Punjab and a prosperous Pakistan.
