Madam, - John Gibbons asked in a recent article: "Can governments and aid agencies really wash their hands of their responsibility to actively promote and foster family planning?" ( Opinion Analysis, August 7th).
The question reveals a supposition that is far from actual facts and I take Nigeria as an example.
The Irish Government is fully aware of, and helpful to, the vibrant efforts of the Pro-Family Life Association of Nigeria (PLAN). Over many years PLAN has trained and qualified more than 8,000 men and women as instructors in the Billings method of natural family planning.
These in turn have trained many thousands of others. In addition, millions of men and women of every religious denomination have been taught the method - either personally, through television teaching programmes, or through about half-a-million books. In more recent years the video and DVD teaching series have been in high demand all over the country and, as the executive organiser of PLAN, I speak with full conviction of their value.
People can only afford to buy what they know will help them. The reason for the ever-increasing demand for the Billings method is the growing awareness of HIV and the need for fidelity. In line with that is the fact that the method enables parents of breastfeeding babies to avoid conception with a high degree of success.
Initially it was the great encouragement and foresight of the Catholic bishops of Nigeria and later the support of other religious leaders that resulted in the speedy spread of the teaching. - Yours, etc,
Dr LÉONIE McSWEENEY,
PLAN National Headquarters,
Ibadan,
Nigeria.