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IPC2021 Countdown Event: Debate: The wife wants no more births, but the husband does...

IUSSP Debate:

"If the wife says that she wants no more births, but the husband does want another birth, can one necessarily say that her subsequent pregnancy is unwanted? Yes or no?" 

 


Monday 8 November 2021

16:00 - 17:15 UTC 

Register to watch the video-recording.
 

The IUSSP Scientific Panel on Couples' Reproductive Health and Fertility 
organized a debate on the following topic:

  • "If the wife says that she wants no more births, but the husband does want another birth, can one necessarily say that her subsequent pregnancy is unwanted? Yes or No?”

Four debaters took turns debating alternately in favor of one of the two positions: Suzana Cavenaghi and Sunday Adedini argued "yes", while Francis Dodoo and K.G. Santhya argued "no". The webinar was introduced by Stan Becker, the chair of the IUSSP Panel on Couples' Reproductive Health and Fertility, and moderated by Ambrose Akinlo. Neetu John provided a synthesis and closing remarks.

The webinar included Q&A with the audience, who was invited to cast their vote in favor of one of the arguments at the end of the debate.

The presentation files are below:

  • No, a pregnancy CANNOT be considered unwanted just because wife SAID she wants no more births! (KG Santhya & Francis Dodoo)

  • Yes, If the wife says that she wants no more births, but the husband does want another birth, her subsequent pregnancy should be considered as “unwanted” (Suzana Cavenaghi)

  • Yes, If the wife says that she wants no more births, even though the husband does want another birth, her subsequent pregnancy should be regarded as unwanted (Sunday Adedini)

The questions and comments in the written Q&A are here.

The result of the attendees post-debate poll are below: 

Answer% of Votes
Yes (same as for pre-debate poll)52%
Yes (changed from "no" in pre-debate poll)6%
No (same as for pre-debate poll)28%
No (changed from "yes" in post-debate poll)13%
 

 

Introduction

Stan Becker
Johns Hopkins University

 

Moderator

Ambrose Akinlo
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria & University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, United States

 

Debaters

Sunday Adedini
Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria & University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

 

Suzana Cavenaghi
Independent Researcher (Retired from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, IBGE)

 

Francis Dodoo 
Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), Ghana & African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Kenya

 

K.G. Santhya
Population Council, India

 

Synthesis and closing remarks

Neetu John
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, United States

 

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