The birth control vaccination was reportedly a requirement forthe women to immigrate to Israel: “They told me if you don'ttake the shot, we won't give you a ticket, so I took the shot, butI didn't know that it would prevent pregnancies. I didn’tknow,” one woman told RT correspondent Paula Slier.
The gruesome side effects of Depo-Provera are so severe that thedrug is not recommended for most patients.
“We are talking about a contraception that has heavy medicaland mental effects – period irregularities, vaginal bleeding,osteoporosis, alongside mental side effects like depression, moodswings, rage and more,” said Sharon Eliyahu-Chai of theAssociation for Civil Rights in Israel.
At least six organizations – such as Tebeka, an Ethiopian legalaid group – now aim to take the matter to court over alleged humanrights violations.
Last month, the Israeli Health Ministry’s director generalordered gynecologists to cease administration of the drugs, bowingto public pressure after accusations that they had been forcing thebirth control injections on Ethiopian women without theirconsent.
Israeli officials have denied that the birth control program waspart of a plan to reduce the Ethiopian birthrate. The scandal hasworn on, with the organizations involved all pinning blame on oneanother.
For more, watch Paula Slier’s report from Israel.
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