Saudi- Shoura Council fails to agree on birth control

(MENAFN- Arab News) Shoura Council members have failed to reach agreement on the wording of a contentious policy document on birth control.

According to reports on Wednesday the disagreement was over the phrase 'reduce the total fertility rate by spacing out of pregnancies' with some members arguing that this is an attempt to cut the birth rate which they say would have negative consequences for the economy.

The council postponed the debate but did not specify a date for its resumption. The council had asked members to vote on the document three times but on each occasion there was no quorum reached for approval rejection or modification of the wording.

The postponement is in line with Article 31 of the Regulatory Procedures of the Shoura Council which states that 'decisions issued by the council require a majority as stipulated in Article 16 of the regulations and if a majority is not achieved the issue must be put to a vote at another meeting.'

According to the regulations failure to achieve a majority vote requires asking Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for a review and decision.

Members supporting the recommendation of the committee on housing water and public services to delete the phrase argue that fertility rates are low in the Kingdom.

Those who support its inclusion argue that the phrase does not call for cutting the birth rate but simply spacing out of pregnancies that would ensure better family planning and protect the health of mothers and babies. They said the stipulation would not be binding and individuals would still have freedom of choice.

According to Adnan Al-Bar a Shoura Council member and family medicine consultant the document indicates that there is a low annual population growth rate in the Kingdom of about 0.4 percent thus placing the Kingdom in the green and best range in terms of population security.

Based on documented scientific studies Al-Bar said spacing between births is healthy for both the mother and child. He said the ideal time between births should be at least three years including one year of pregnancy and no more than five years including one year of pregnancy noting that waiting more or less time poses greater health risks.

Arab News reported on Monday that the committee's report indicated that the birth rate at the end of the 1970s was 7 infants per woman dropping to 4.8 in 2000 and 3.3 in 2009. In the next 15 years the committee argued the birth rate is expected to drop to 0.98 per couple less than the global average.