Mom of 11 wants contraceptive use restricted

As Jamaica faces the possibility of population decline due to low birth rate, a fertile Clarendon woman has suggested that the authorities should reconsider its aggressive push for the use of contraceptives.

Stacy-Ann Murray Brown, a mother of 11, said the the increasing use of contraceptive among Jamaican women is to be blamed for the falling birth rate.

"A di government come in with the birth control ting and when yuh go clinic dem a give yuh juck. If contraception never deh bout pickney would a born. Dem need to cut out dem ting deh because mi nuh believe inna it," said Murray Brown.

A 41-year-old lover of children, Murray Brown told THE STAR that she wants to "just square off at having 15 children".

"Mi love when woman have dem pickney," the fertile woman said, adding that she does not believe in using contraceptives.

"Mi take birth control one time and it nearly kill mi. Woman fi have out dem lot," she said.

In 2015, the National Family Planning Board reported that 85 per cent of women have used a contraceptive method and up to 88 per cent use it regardless of educational level. The data also show that 73 per cent of women in a union are using contraceptives.

But the use of contraceptive coupled with other factors such as infertility and people deciding to have fewer children have led to a decline in the country's birth rate.

Murray Brown yesterday told THE STAR that she would support efforts aimed at increasing the birth rate but warned against the introduction of financial incentives being given to women to have children.

"Mi nuh believe inna dat because it would come in like a buy dem a buy babies. Some woman, just because dem know dem a guh get a money, dem will just breed up and sometimes some pickney come pon di Earth whe never did fi come. Some unwanted pickney would a come a road," she reasoned.

"People like mi, Government suppose to look at because mi a build up the population and the 11 whe mi have will do their part too,' Murray said.

The 40 year old woman children ranges from age 24 years to 4 months.

"Children are blessings and children suppose to born, but remember a poor people breed up because the rich not doing it. The low birth rate is an issue, yes, but the Government need to tell poor people how dem going to maintain the children. See mi have 11 children and because dem nuh go school often a just three a dem deh pon PATH. If dem want more pickney fi born, set up a programme where the Government help take care a dem," Murray Brown added.

PATH is government social safety net initiative that provides support for the most vulnerable. School-age children are required to have an attendance record of not less than 85 per cent to benefit under the programme.