Doesn reproductive health start at marriage ?
Concern for reproductive health starts in childhood and lasts throughout the life-cycle. For example, young girls need to be assured equal access to food, health care, life skills, education, employment, and other opportunities to enable them to have greater control over their lives, their development, and their health, including their future reproductive and sexual health.
How India’s population would grow in the future depends largely on the 189 million-plus people in the 15-24 age group. Meeting their needs for information and guidance regarding sexual and reproductive health behaviour, apart from education and employment opportunities, thus constitutes an important aspect of population and development programmes. Adolescent sexual and reproductive health programmes enable them to make responsible and informed decisions. This is particularly important in the case of young women, who should be empowered to exercise their right to greater control over their sexual and reproductive lives, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. Better communication about sexuality, about gender relations, and about the avoidance of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases will improve the quality of life of young people. The importance of focusing on the adolescent girls and boys is supported by the following: • About 25% of girls in the 15-19 age group
