Religious leaders under the umbrella organization, the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) have raised concern over the effects of rapid population growth in Uganda and increasing cases of teenage pregnancy, as the main causes of environmental degradation, with significant impact on health, education and the economy.
The clerics’ message is contained in a pastoral letter issued on Monday and signed by all religious sectors represented at the Council.
The letter highlights the need for responsible procreation with a call to address population and developmental issues. They argue that the increased population numbers are exerting insurmountable pressure on available resources, and harming the health and well-being of women, children, and families.
The letter says, as stewards of God’s creation, human beings must carefully consider how choices they make eventually affect the earth. The clerics advocate for a smaller population that will help ease pressure on natural resources, putting the country in a better position to address challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation.
“Decisions on when to give birth, and how many children to bear affect the well-being of individual couples, as well as the earth’s ability to thrive and support life.” the letter reads.
They say, God expects humankind to add value to the earth, and with parents who have so many children and cannot meet their need to help them flourish, majority are failing to add value as God intended.
In the letter, clerics also claim that a smaller population will enable the country to provide more social services (such as health and education) and jobs for its people.
As a recommendation, clerics emphasized the need for birth spacing/family planning and called upon couples in reproductive age (after live birth) to wait for at least 24 months before attempting another pregnancy in order to reduce risks of adverse maternal, and infant outcomes.
They also recommend that women who lose pregnancies through miscarriages, or induced termination of pregnancy due to a woman’s health should wait at least 6 months before attempting another pregnancy to reduce risks of adverse maternal and prenatal outcomes.
The clerics however do not recommend any specific method of birth control.
As a measure to mitigate teenage pregnancy, clerics say a safe environment where sexuality, intimacy, and relationships can be discussed openly and honestly using all available fora should be considered, in order to help young people to learn to navigate peer pressure and other societal influences that result into early sexual activity.
They argue that the continued silence and complacency coupled with moral decadence is responsible for the increased cases of teenage pregnancy, while adults continue to argue over issues of sexuality.
They also appealed to both parents to take an active role during pregnancies, by taking at least four health-care visits during pregnancy to facilitate identification of problems that may require health care, and ensure a skilled attendant is available to deliver the baby.