Safe sex is not a novel idea or practice, even on an island with flaccid sex education.
With alarming rates of STDs regularly reported by Malta’s national GU clinic, the importance of being protected cannot be overstated. So what are people using, if anything at all, when they get down and dirty?
According to a recent Lovin Malta survey on all things sex interviewing 405 respondents, 38% said that condoms were their preferred method of protection.
However, the second most popular response was not to use any form of pregnancy or STD-preventing contraception.
In fact, 28% picked the worrying option of “I don’t use any”.
The third most popular response was “the pull-out method”, which is not regarded as the safest sex option.
The pull-out method, or also known as coitus interruptus is exactly what it sounds like in straight sex: pulling the penis out of the vagina before ejaculation.
This method, without the use of any other contraceptives, does not protect from STDs, especially ones that are transmitted from skin-to-skin contact like syphilis or gonorrhoea.
Birth control pills, implants, calendar checking and PrEp were other methods that respondents make use of.
Contraception is a sore topic in Malta and health authorities have faced a sea of criticism in recent years. With a sexual health policy that is bone-dry and more than a decade old, it’s not hard to see why.
Despite pledges to turn things around, Malta’s access to contraception is still stifled by hurdles.
In fact, the islands’ access to contraception is below the European average, landing it at the lowest end of a list according to a recent EU survey due to current political and financial obstacles, which include a general lack of contraceptive coverage within the national health system, and no special coverage for young people or vulnerable people like unemployed or low-income individuals.
In contrast, the United Kingdom scored the highest score with 96.9%, followed by France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden.
Despite less than preferable rates of using contraceptives, people in Malta overwhelmingly agree that access needs to get better.
A Lovin Malta survey found that out of 769 respondents, an overwhelming 81.5% agreed that contraception should either be free or subsidised because safe sex shouldn’t be a luxury for those who can afford it.
Political parties have responded with proposals. During election season, the Labour Party pledged that the morning-after pill and contraception would be free at health centres.
The Nationalist Party proposed free contraception and morning-after pills in 2021, insisting it would reduce demand for abortion, while PL women’s branch Nisa Laburisti had proposed it back in 2020.
Until Malta gets a robust sexual health policy, check out Lovin Malta’s guide to everything you need to know about contraceptives on the islands.
Do you think Malta needs better access to contraception?
Discovered on: 2023-04-22 07:21:03
Source: Got Condoms? Here Are Malta’s Most Used Contraceptives According To Popular…
