Tanzania Bans Airing of Family Planning Ads

The John Magufuli administration has lately banned family planning advertisements in Tanzanian media and it is to be implemented with immediate effect. The U.S. aid organization has been asked to abide by the new rule.

A letter for U.S. agency dated September 19 by Health Permanent Secretary Mpoki Ulisubisya reads, “I request you to stop with immediate effect airing and publishing any family planning contents in any media channels, until further notice.”

The order is in line with the speech of President Magufuli on September 9 in which he said women should not use contraceptives as the country is in need of more people.

He added that those who opt for family planning are lazy and don’t want to work hard to feed their children.

He made similar content about two years ago too after launching free primary and secondary education.

The total population of Tanzania is around 53 million and women in the country have at least five children in an average, which is highest rates in the world.

After becoming president Magufuli proposed several controversial policies and one such was the ban of pregnant schoolgirls from schools as well as not to allow resuming education even after giving birth.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, Seif Magango, said reproductive rights are coming under attack in the country and the government needs to stop obstructing such access to sexual health services.

The new order comes just about two weeks after when Magufuli said he wish people to exercise fundamental right of making decisions about their bodies.