More than 100 UCSI University students attended the “Yes, I Can” talk to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

More than 100 UCSI University students attended the “Yes, I Can” talk to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

Miss Malaysia 2007 Deborah Henry speaks to UCSI University students during the national “Yes, I Can” campaign to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

Kuala Lumpur, 15 October, 2010 - Information and empowerment were the themes Tuesday during the Yes, I Can campaign talk at UCSI University’s Multipurpose Hall at its South Wing. Featuring Miss Malaysia 2007 Deborah Henry and Dr. Jamiyah Hassan, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the University Malaya Medical Centre, the event provided information about sexual health and contraception to help prevent unplanned pregnancies. UCSI University School of Nursing organised the event as a way to educate students about the dangers of unprotected sex and to encourage them to make responsible decisions.

School of Nursing Associate Professor Jeya Devi Coomarasamy said, as a nurse who has seen a lot of young girls struggle with unplanned pregnancies, she wanted to educate UCSI University students on how to prevent the problem.

“Our Malaysian teenagers and young women are such that they do not voice out their concern about sex and sexual issues,” she said. “They cannot turn to their parents who are either too busy to talk to their young teenage daughters or sons or are too embarrassed to approach the subject.”

In her talk, Dr. Jamiyah spoke about the global and national problems regarding unplanned pregnancies. According to the campaign, the world has seen an exponential and potentially unsustainable population growth in the past 500 years, with 80 million unplanned pregnancies annually worldwide. In Malaysia, Dr. Jamiyah said baby dumping has become a problem with more than 400 cases of abandoned babies being reported since 2005. 

“Sex is natural, sex is physical, but sex has consequences,” she said.

To combat the problem, Dr. Jamiyah spoke about different types of birth control, including the birth control pill and barrier methods, and said women need to take care of themselves.

“Even if you’re a CEO, when you go home, you’re still a wife and a mother,” she said.

Deborah, one of the campaign’s ambassadors, spoke to students about making informed choices. She said, even if you’re not having sex now, it’s good to learn about sexual health to make better decisions later.
“Only when we’re informed can we be empowered to make decisions in our lives,” she said. “If you’re going to be sexually active be smart about it.” 

Deborah also advocated making sure you’re in a healthy relationship, one based on mutual trust and respect, before choosing to have sex, and to only make the choice when ready. 

The event was part of the national Yes, I Can campaign, which seeks to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies and abandoned babies by educating the public on sexual health and contraception. 

Students who attended the talk said they found the information helpful. 

Dylan Aw, a School of Medicine student, said he learned more about respecting women, especially with regards to sex. 

Sneha Lourdes, a nursing student, said she was glad she came. 

“I learned some new things,” she said. “The information will be useful for life.”