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Family Planning Association provides help to those in danger
Unplanned pregnancies put mothers' lives at risk

by Zanita Careem
The message has been loud and clear that abortion has reached alarming heights. As part of the family planning programme, abortions are projected as harmful for both mother and child. But the message doesn't seem to be getting through with any marked degree of success. Unplanned pregnancy and the toll taken by unsafe abortions have caused many maternal deaths.

The WHO defines an unsafe abortion as a procedure for terminating an unwanted pregnancy carried out by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment lacking the minimal medical standards or both.

Furthermore the agency points out that even if performed by physicians, abortions carried out with unauthorized facilities or in a country where abortion is illegal place women's health and lives at risk. The WHO estimates that at least 20 million unsafe abortions are performed each year. Even abortions among married couples are common and are increasing, spilling out of the confines of marriage.

Dr. Mrs. Sriyani Basnayake of the Family Planning Association said every year about 35 out of every 1,000 women of child bearing age in the world undergo an induced abortion. In Sri Lanka induced abortions have reached alarming proportions. Our social and cultural traditions and customs along with permissiveness were a big handicap in nipping this evil in the bud.

Moreover for centuries abortions have been kept literarily and figuratively in the backstage of society. Hence women undergoing clandestine abortions, have had to suffer in silence, some even dying or being maimed.

Most of the unmarried couples calling at the centre could not be persuaded to drop their inhibitions and talk about their problems freely.

Since pre-marital sex is on the increase following liberalisation and westernisation abortion is increasingly being seen as a form of birth control in lieu of contraceptive methods which a large percentage of young couples were reluctant to use. It dwells on the social taboos that induce secrecy in such scenes with particularly the girl may have been raped with the police being kept out of the picture. Most often the girls who were forced to have sexual intercourse nor their parents were willing to entertain a medical-legal case by reporting to the police because of the stigma associated with pre-marital sex.

Dr. Mrs. Basnayake pointed out that in Sri Lanka sex is still indulged mostly in the conservative traditions as its legitimate place being strictly within marriage though in practice it may be indulged in covertly.

While admitting that the phenomenon of pregnancies among unmarried couples is not new, Dr. Basnayake believes that the number of abortions, among the married couples are escalating. For instance the mushrooming of illegal abortion centres and quack doctors proves the point. Gynaecological wards of government hospitals are the final recourse only after medical quacks have created complications, said Mrs. Basnayake.

In rural areas the incidence of induced septic abortions have appeared to have increased over the last few years with most of those needing attention visiting quacks who promise them secrecy since hospitals don't offer such services due to the current legal restrictions.

The usual reason for unwanted pregnancies among this group were ignorance of the repercussion, compulsion and more rarely permissiveness. Some are even ignorant of the fact that sex could lead to conception.

Apparently they did not even realise they were pregnant until their physical appearances betrayed it.

Most of the unwed couples can't afford an abortion under proper medical care in view of the high charges. Such charges are in the range of Rs. 8,000 to 10,000 and also due to the legality of the procedure.

Abortions among the factory workers are increasing. It is commonly believed that it is due to their independent life-styles that allows them to mix freely with the opposite sex.

Among married couples the desire for small families has intensified and now it has become the accepted norm. So most couples especially working mothers want to limit their family size, but at the same time they do not use reliable modern contraceptive methods. They use traditional contraceptive methods which are not so effective. Some women fear having an IUD inserted, most often the negative aspect of modern scientific contraception are reported in the press, for instance unfounded or exaggerated rumour about such side effects of pills, etc. This often prevents or stops the use of such reliable methods.

Women turn to abortion for many reasons according to Mrs. Basnayake.

Basically women decide to have an abortion because they are too young or too poor to raise a child. Either she is working or still studying so that they do not want to have a child. These are some of the difficulties that beset women in all walks of life who are trying to plan competing roles and trying to adapt themselves to changing societal expectations.

Whatever the reasons are of the 600,000 women who die each year from pregnancy related causes, an estimated one in eight die of complications resulting from abortion.

If adequate and correct information about contraception reaching the community, illegal abortions could be reduced to a great extent. The Family Planning Association has to a great extent provide such useful information to all sections of the population. They advocate adequate spacing between pregnancies preventing pregnancy very early or late in woman's reproductive lives. When the risks are great avoid unintended pregnancies that may lead to illegal and dangerous abortions. Dr. Basnayake further said "We have reproductive health education for youth and adolescence one of our most successful projects is the sexual and reproductive health education programmes conducted for in and out of school youth. Subjects taught include reproductive pregnancy, child health, sexual transmitted diseases, etc., where the children could be aware of the facts of life," says Dr. Basnayake.

Training school teachers in batches on how to teach these subjects is another activity of the FPA so that school children get the basic of reproductive health. This year of the main activities of the FPA is training of councillors at district level with the assistance of the UNFPA and the Europeans Union which in turn will benefit the rural youth. Furthermore the Family Planning Association feed the needs of the reproductive health of women by conducting Well Women Clinics which includes pap smear test, breast examinations, checking the womb for abnormalities like fibroids, testing for diabetics are only for a nominal fee which shows that the FPA offers women clean health benefits.

The women clinic where women can get health check ups are a notable contribution. Free trade workers are given a broad understanding of sexual transmitted disease. Dr. Basnayake shows how much need there is for a more comprehensive and scientifically compiled survey to ascertain the true nature of such an important area of human relationships of sex, child birth and abortion. Attempts are also being made to expand and improve treatment protocol and contraceptive counselling for women.

Bitten by the fashion design bug

By Sumadhu Weerawarne
Chaminda Piyasiri is diffident and monosyllabic twenty something. He is a fashion designer with no formal training, hoping to hone his skills at a Parisienne Design School.

"I got interested in fashion when I was about 15. It was begun as a means of earning pocket-money," he says. It was his friend Sonali de Silva who pointed him in that direction. "When I asked her what I could do to earn some pocket money she said that I could make some clothes and display them at her shop. This is at Majestic City shopping complex. So I did." Her only instructions were that he should design them himself and he found that his clothes were selling well.

"But my mother forced me to continue with my educatiion but I did not sit for my Advanced Level examination. But all along I continued to make clothes. It was more as a hobby." And then he decided or it seemed that fate decreed it so, that he would make a career of it.

"It was after I was introducd to Purnima Abeyratne of Inspirations that I really learnt a lot. I showed her my designs and she thought that they were beautiful. She introduced me to some photographers and I was able to design for some coverpage photo shoots. She also introduced me to Nilhan Seneviratne from whom I learnt a lot."

He is the only boy in his family. Were his parents not perturbed to find him make a career of something which would still be viewed more or less as woman's domain. This is of course even though many of the international fashion designers are male.

"It was my mother who taught me how to sew. They are very supportive," he says. His aunt being a designer perhaps provided the catalyst.

Where does his influence and inspiration lie? "My designs are largely western. I take the designs of the West and modify them to suit our culture. I watch all the programmes on fashion on television." However, many of his designs in the portfolio that he carries with him seem to be a far cry from what would suit our culture, exposed midriffs, lots of bare skin seems to be the order. "These were designed for calendars or as the cover for newspaper supplements. The clothes I design generally are well covered." So his designs are functional.

His designs it seems are largely simple straight lined with no frills or furbelows. The influence of the West is marked, he even has a short lingerie dress popularised by Versace.

"I use little ornamentation. I like to keep it simple," he says.

He does not sew all the clothes himself, but designs them and gets them done elsewhere. "There are far too many orders."

They have taken a beating... but could claw back to power
Women in the cockpit of power

By Zanita Careem
The political spotlight is on South East Asia, where the women leaders have taken centre stage in politics by storm recently. Whatever their political weaknesses are most of the women in the region have succeeded in one of the most chauvinistic male dominated regions of the world by demonstrating enough grit and political acumen to emerge as potent political forces.

They are all products of political systems and societies so dominated by violence that bullets and bombs often decide more elections than often do voters and ballots. These women in South East Asia hold the driving reins in today's, cockpits of power.

Right now Indian politics is dominated by two powerful women Sonia Gandhi and AIDMK supremo Jayalalitha. A former actress, and one time chief minister Jayalalitha held the former BJP government to ransom. Dubbed as the 'iron butterfly' or the 'Queen Bee', she has risen from the ashes and won the hearts of many women in Chennai. She is our leader, said one woman. Another echoed that only a woman can understand the needs of another woman. Jayalalitha can feel the pube of womankind.

Her temperament, her caprice, her demanding and wilful nature are all too well known to the people of Chennai. She is highly respected despite her imperious ways. Her cut-outs greet the visitor in every nook and cranny of Chennai.

Although she had inherited the MGR votebank she has done everything to implant her own impress in the political landscape of Chennai, inclusive of numerous corruption charges against her, Jayalalitha still seems to be instep with the masses. All in all Jayalalitha is still adulated and accepted in the politics of Tamil Nadu.

She also has age on her side. She is still in her forties compared to the advancing age of Karunanidhi of DMK and TMC leader Moopanar.

She seems to have forsaken the present for the future.

AIADMK politics owe as much to circumstances as to Jayaram-Jayalalitha's charisma. She pulled the carpet under the Vajpayee government which displayed her manipulative skills. She is in the hot news now. She can take comfort in the fact that a new generation of voters may not hold the past against the rulers of today.

Right now she sees a potential political scenario which she could exploit to her great advantage. Will the future be kind to Jayalalitha?

Sonia Gandhi the widow of Rajiv Gandhi is one of the most influential women in India today. She was considered as one of the most powerful behind-the-scene politician until recently. She played it cool for sometimes till she took the plunge into active politics recently. She may be the fourth member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to hold the presidency of the Congress. Sonia is a decisive woman and with a determined offensive to bring down the 13 month BJP -Vajpayee government. Sonia, the favourite daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi, remains a force to be reckoned with in national politics right now. She is the leading public campaigner for Congress but not an MP. This means she has so far not exposed herself to the vicious cut and thrust of competitive politics.

Like Rajiv, Sonia has charisma quality which helped her adapt to the role of an Indian daughter-in-law after her marriage in 1968. Will the Milan-born Sonia take up the mantle of political leadership?

If Sonia does decide to become the PM it would certainly not be without precedent. London-born Annie Besant was elected President of the Indian National Congress at the Calcutta sessions in August 1917. True the party Annie Bessant presided over was still largely restricted to a minority of educated Indians. But even after Mahatma Gandhi transformed the Congress into a mass based party Nellie Sengupta, an Englishwoman married to a Bengali freedom fighter acted as president at the dramatic 1933 Calcutta sessions after the arrest of Madan Mohan Malaviya. Two other foreign born women sisters Nivedita and Meera Behn Mukerjie also played important roles in the Indian freedom struggle. Sonia identifies completely with her adopted country and is acutely aware of the role of Rajiv's family has played in the freedom movement. She has a great sense of history and so has tremendous respect for the tradition of the family she married into. She speaks fluent Hindi and very correct in sartorially in line with Indian sense of modesty and decorum.

Recently Sonia's increasing interest in the political issues has led to speculation over the role she might eventually adopt if she does become the PM in India. The question is whether the people of India will ever accept a foreigner as the PM. With elections in the offing we have yet to see.

And in neighbouring Pakistan charismatic woman leader in a land where women don't lead, Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari have been sentenced to jail. Eldest daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and former PM, Benazir has been accused of corruption. She was once a upon a 13-year-old girl who lived in a protected and privileged world.

Immaculately dressed in clothes from Saks Fifth Avenue she is commonly known as Pinkie. An Oxford graduate she coveted the presidency of the Oxford Debate Union. The party elders of the Pakistan People's Party one time dubbed her as a gloss of glamour. Right now she is embroiled in political controversy. Investigators have put forward 65 cases of financial irregularities. Benazir is totally cool. She says 'my only crime is to serve the country selflessly'. We have yet to see the outcome of Benazir's political leadership.

Back home Chandrika Kumaratunga assumed the Presidency of Sri Lanka four and a half years ago with many hopes and aspirations for the common masses. Daughter of two Prime Ministers Chandrika swept to power with a thumping majority. She was the beacon of hope for the masses. But today her party has lost much of its elan and gloss, and a great deal of its appeal.

People have lost faith in its ability to give political direction. And in the recent PC election compared to 62% five years ago its vote fell to just 49% and now to a further 45%. Further her government's conduct in the North Western Province election was severely criticised for violence, assault, intimidation here and abroad.

The quality of the victory of the PA in the five Provincial Council elections recently has been poor. The difference in the five PCs between PA and UNP votes is only about 126,000. These trends mark a watershed as far as the PA is concerned. It is a challenge for President Kumaratunga.

The PA also lost electoral divisions that were under the purview of senior Muslim ministers Fowzie and Alavi Moulana. Whatever the excuse the PA may give, people have lost faith. Hope and aspiration have been shattered worst still was the substituting of ministers, wives and relatives as the chief ministers of the new five PCs. While not technically wrong, this is a travesty of justice and a negation of democracy as those elected to office do not represent the people's will.

With the high cost of living, the common man is feeling the pinch on all sides. The President has to face the challenge and if the ethnic war aggravates, the country will plunge into turmoil.

In Bangladesh Sheik Hasina is facing mounting opposition. Behind all the chaos in South East Asia a disquieting thought lingers. Women have failed at the helm. They have learn to whether deal forge alliances and somehow manage to balance the leadership. One thing however is certain. No longer can women be relegated to the background. They can easily fill the role of kingmaker of the nation.

And the famous quote the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world! is proved true!

Style
Mystique of the sarees

This collection of sarees leads the fashion whirl. They come in kaleidoscope of special traditional prints, borders and textures. These exquisite collective in bold bright colours has a language of its own.

The language of the saree draped over a woman over the centuries assumes a widespectrum of meaning which is manifested in its every single turn and fold. That a loose flowing fabric can spin so many silent yet vibrant ways of being and communicating is a wonder in itself.

It is amazing how much the saree can speak or convey. Then saree also speaks its own sexual language like no other garment. It's almost like conversation and the nuances cannot be missed. It camouflage flaws as much as it can highlight the curves. In fact every single emotional mood can be correctly conveyed with a subtle movement of the saree. In spite of the influx of the western attire, the saree is here to stay. It helps keep the woman attuned and adaptable at any part of time in any mood or frame.

The mystique of these sarees were unfolded at a recent bridal show held at the Convention Centre.

High Fashion
Spirit of 'Romeo and Juliet' at Galadari

by Kirthi Sri Karunaratne
Versatile Gwen Herat as her newest venture launched a book of sonnets titled "The Spirit of Romeo and Juliet". Well versed in many subjects that range from cricket and netball to gardening and ballet, she persevers the fields with great enthusiasm. This time Gwen launched her book in the VIP room of the Galadari Hotel in the presence of an exclusive gathering. Thechief guest of the evening was the Ambassador for France in Sri Lanka Madame Elizabeth Dahan.

Madame Dahan in her speech after accepting the first copy of the book said she was rather lost as to why she was asked to the event, which was inspired by the greatest English writer that ever lived, when she was French, but thought perhaps the connection of the Ballet of Romeo and Juliet was the crucial link.

Professor Ashley Halpe as always made a erudite analysis of the poems and was a pleasure to listen to. Fashion was on a quiet note. Gwen wore a simple ivory hued saree with a blouse in the same colour worked in floral scrolls of ribbon. Bridgitte Halpe had her tobacco brown saree bordered in black and gold, with scattered motifs in black on the pallu centred with a little mirror. An exquisite heirloom pendent of diamonds was the complementary ornament.

The most striking saree for the occasion was in black. Goolbhai Gunasekera had her black saree embroidered in a dainty floral and scroll design in pink and white and white on the fall in front and at the pleats and on the pallu, in a cluster design. A long rope of pearls completed the chic impression.

Madame Dahan wore a three piece suit, the skirt and blouse in a lovely shade of damson pink with a white blouse, ruffled in front.

Birthdays

Celebrating a birthday is no longer restricted to the younger generation. The older ones too have a good time with their family and friends with every passing year. Most times though it is the young ones in the family that organise the festivities, as at two birthday parties held in the recent past. When Kamala Fernando asked her friends to lunch at the Taprobane in the Hotel Lanka Oberoi, it was her family running into the fourth generation that were there to give her support and help with the hosting.

Kamala was happily flanked by her great grand children, when she blew out the single candle and cut her cake. Clad in a smart saree just right for the occasion and the time of day, she exuded charm which added to the friendly banter and relaxed atmosphere. The saree of a deep blue silk fused with green had a border in shades of raspberry yellow and green fusing into one another. A double strand necklace of gold in the pettimale tradition and a topaz pendent on a fine chain made her ornaments.

Grand daughter-in-law Yalli Hemachandra wore a yellow and cream trouser suit, with yellow applique on the sleeves and collar of cream. Hyacinth Fernando had her pretty pale peach top which was long embroidered in floral motifs to make a lovely combination with rose coral jewellery. Srimani Dharmaraja had a pendent of rubies to wear with a green printed saree with red in it. The mushroom shade in the crushed silk fabric in two shades Badra Wijesena wore with deeper mushroom toned pants, in perfect coordinates for high noon.

A saree in shaded purple Chula Ariyaratne wore was teamed with a blouse made of panels of ribbon embroidered borders. A top in a floral patterned print in two tones of blue, with white, Indira Wettasinghe wore with a pale corn flower blue skirt. A rope of blue and gold beads completed the outfit.

Also celebrating her birthday was Malinee Bodinagoda with tea a la Tittle Tattle at the Colombo Hilton. Unfortunately having got to the celebration at the tail end many a fashion and style sported by the guests we missed out on. We still caught Malinee though, elegant as usual in a saree of Barbara Sansoni silk, in a striking combination of shot rust and green. The pallu of the saree was in green and amber and she wore a green blouse and gold jewellery. Still among the stragglers was Shanuki Wickremasinghe in a cotton saree of a lovely tone of green, with a narrow ribbon border in gold. Even though I missed out on seeing her I was told by those present that Mallika Rajakaruna wore a saree of turquoise with a woven beige border making a elegant impact.

A dinner was hosted by Rotarian Cyril Fernando and President of the Inner Wheel Club of Colombo West Marie Alles Fernando in their lovely home and garden. The feast was specially to say thank you for all the support in aid of charities the members gave Marie as President. The main charity was the Childrens' Heart project. Once again it was one of those evenings for Zarani and for me, when we had three events to attend and leaving this to the last we were on our way up the garden path when many of the guests were homeward bound. Nevertheless we met a few of the Inner Wheel members, among them were Sashi Ramiah and Rajan Rajendra.

Sashi wore a shot orange toned saree with a broad border which was in a serrated design of vandykes in cerise and gold.

Rajan's saree was of a blue silk, the sapphire tone foil to a border in ivory blue and biege for subdued elegance.

Chandi Alles favoured a handloom silk in a lovely shade of amber, the shot effect of the fabric foil to the pallu and motifs in two shades of green and in a deeper gold. A gold necklace and stud earnings were her choice of ornaments.

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