This is #Israel / Racism & coercion: on the Depo-Provera Issue and the Ethiopian community (research)
I’ve seen this issue discussed here recently. Here’s some context about an historical and ongoing overreach of the state and medical authorities in controlling the fertility of Ethiopian immigrant women, in this case the forced (or “strongly encouraged”) use of the Depo-Provera contraceptive injection, extracted for a recent research paper.
The issue dates back to the 1990s and continues to the present day. Ethiopian immigrants, who often faced discrimination and were perceived as having higher birth rates, were disproportionately targeted by state-sponsored programs aimed at limiting their family size.
The Depo-Provera injection, a long-acting reversible contraceptive, was frequently administered to Ethiopian women, often without full informed consent or consideration of their individual needs and desires. This practice was sometimes carried out in the context of family planning programs in absorption centers for new immigrants.
The Israeli government and medical authorities played a role in perpetuating this issue. While some officials initially denied or downplayed the extent of the problem, investigations and reports revealed a pattern of coercive practices.
The issue is deeply rooted in racism and discrimination against Ethiopian immigrants, who were often viewed as a "problem", requiring state intervention to control their population growth. This reflects broader societal biases and stereotypes which is not limited to the Ethiopian community, if we limit the discussion to Jewish immigrants.
The researcher, Chedva Eyal, states that despite some changes in policy, concerns remain about the potential for continued overreach and a lack of respect for the reproductive rights of Ethiopian women.
Testimonial from the paper:
[…] For example, the testimony of Shula, who arrived at a Kupat Holim (healthcare clinic) branch in central Israel after giving birth to her son. The nurse insisted she take Depo-Provera, even though Shula did not request contraception and even emphasized that she did not have a partner. Shula, stunned by the intensity of the pressure, decided to go to another clinic to avoid taking contraception she had not asked for at all. The visitor might also have heard the testimony of an Ethiopian woman who refused to take Depo-Provera and was insulted with "retard, foolish," and because of her three pregnancies, she was offered an abortion. The racist and humiliating treatment, along with cases of a lack of medical care infrastructure, indicate a difficult and complex reality that is not reflected in the visitor's inquiry.
Hebrew https://www.kriot.co.il/%D7%9C%D7%90-%D7%A0%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%90%D7%94-%D7%A2%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%91%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%99%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%A4%D7%A8/
From the abstract:
The article presents a retrospective account of the Depo-Provera (contraceptive injection) provision scandal to women from the #Ethiopian community in Israel, which was administered broadly with the aim of reducing fertility. The article follows the social and institutional processes since the scandal was revealed in 2008 and examines the State Comptroller's inquiry in 2015. This is a multi-site #ethnographic study that combines interviews, data processing, analysis of the State Comptroller's inquiry and Knesset debate protocols, and spans the years 2023–2008. During the research, I was exposed to many cases of Depo-Provera being administered without consent, and I witnessed the public discourse and processes that occurred in the wake of the scandal's exposure.
@israel
#depoprovera #racism
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