VOA标准英语2011--International Conference Highlights Family Planning in Senegal

International Conference Highlights Family Planning in Senegal

With the global population reaching 7 billion this year, doctors and health officials are advocating better family planning methods. Senegal, where some 2,000 international delegates gathered in early December to tackle the issues.

On a busy day at the Fith Mith Clinic in a suburb of Guédiawaye, just outside of Dakar, Mamy Diop had just given birth to her third child, only one year and three months after the previous. She did not know about family planning before, but she does now.

"I just decided¹ to take birth spacing measures and will ask soon about which method I should use," she said.

Family Planning is an emerging and somewhat controversial topic in Senegal where more than 2,000 participants met in early December for the International Conference on Family Planning. Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade² highlighted the dilemma³ his country faces.

"To survive, it is good to limit the number of children, but this should, again, be a decision made completely voluntarily," he said. "We are consequently believers, and we cannot impose contraceptive methods, methods which prevent procreation.”

But more and more, families are seeking contraception to space or limit births despite the associated taboos⁴ in the country, which is more than 90 percent Muslim.

"Some people say Islam is against family planning, but life is getting more and more difficult," said Mamy Diop.

Historically, the only acceptable application of family planning has been birth spacing for the health of the mother and the child. But religious leaders increasingly are invoking⁵ the Quran's message of financial responsibility.

"Islam has discussed this," said Imam Niasse. "If resources are limited and the family size is too large, there will be problems for the family. We are already living a situation of scarcity⁶ and we should talk openly. We have many children here, but what kind of children do we have?"

Many Muslim scholars say that, barring abortion⁷, the faithful can use many types of birth control - but only if it is critical for the sake of the mother or the family's finances. If both are healthy, the consensus⁸ is that parents should continue to reproduce. If not, families have many choices.

"This is the intrauterine device, this the cycle necklace, these are injectables, this is the feminine condom, the pills, there are implants⁹, plus the male condom," said nurse Mariama Baye.

Mariama Baye is the head nurse and midwife at the Fith Mith Clinic. She says none of those methods cost more than $1 per month and demand is on the rise despite persistent¹⁰ social obstacles.

"With our efforts and discussions in the neighborhoods, women now understand what birth spacing is and they want to come," she said. "When we say birth limitation, they don't listen. So we say birth spacing. With birth spacing, I hope the final goal will be the limitation of births.”

The clinic participates in an urban family planning project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and coordinated¹¹ by Intrahealth, a private American organization that supports health workers throughout the world. Pape Gaye is the Intrahealth's CEO and a native of Senegal.

"We've seen way too many people in the streets, way too many people who are not going to school, way too many poor people, which is part of refusing to control population," said Pape Gaye.

Gaye says family planning results in Senegal do not match the large investments made in the country. He says just 12.3 percent of the population use contraception, only marginally higher than five years ago. Yet, he hopes the recent conference and the president's remarks will further open dialogue and accelerate results.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

3 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

4 taboos   

禁忌( taboo的名词复数 )； 忌讳； 戒律； 禁忌的事物（或行为）

参考例句：

• She was unhorsed by fences, laws and alien taboos. 她被藩蓠、法律及外来的戒律赶下了马。
• His mind was charged with taboos. 他头脑里忌讳很多。

5 invoking   

v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can customize the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自辞典例句

6 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

7 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

8 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

9 implants   

n.（植入身体中的）移植物( implant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters. 激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps the most far-reaching project is an initiative called Living Implants From Engineering (LIFE). 也许最具深远意义的项目，是刚刚启动的建造活体移植工程 (LIFE)。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

10 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

11 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法