Michael Abrahams | Sex after the hurricane: a realistic perspective

A few weeks ago, I came across a tweet from Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz that piqued my interest. It concerned two women in western Jamaica who were approached with care packages in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. One woman refused the care package and said that what she wanted was birth control. She has three children and, anticipating hard times ahead, did not want a fourth to arrive while she was recovering from the hurricane. The other woman wanted to return to where she was from, where she knew people, because she came to Westmoreland for work and lost everything.

The comment about birth control resonated with many people who responded to the tweet. It did provide some food for thought. Sometimes we assume others’ needs based on our own. But people’s circumstances, priorities, personalities and coping skills differ widely.

What also came to the fore was the topic of sexual behaviour after the hurricane. There were some who scoffed at the woman who desired birth control. There were others who were perplexed that people affected by the hurricane would have sex on their minds. Some were very judgmental and unrealistic, suggesting that women who survived the hurricane should “close their legs.”

FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN NEED

Intimacy is considered to be a fundamental human need. Its absence negatively impacts our mental, emotional, and physical health, increasing our risk of experiencing loneliness, anxiety, depression, and stress. Intimacy and sex are not the same, but the former often leads to the latter. And people have sex for many different reasons apart from intimacy, including for procreation, recreation, stress relief, or transactional reasons, formal or informal. Who are we to dictate when consenting adults should abstain from sexual activity?

After such a major disaster such as Hurricane Melissa, sex is the last thing on many survivors’ minds. People who have lost their homes, possessions and livelihoods are traumatised, experiencing post-hurricane may make them desire human contact, closeness, intimacy and sex. Stress may diminish the desire for sex, but sex can also be a great way to relieve stress. Different strokes for different folks, and some wish to be stroked at this time. Also, for many people, their jobs have been interrupted, in some instances permanently, and if there is no job to go to, they are more likely to stay at home. And if people are at home with no electricity, wi-fi or internet access, with fewer options to keep themselves occupied and engaged, sexual activity is likely to take place if the desired partners are available.

However, the consequences of becoming pregnant at this time can be deleterious. If someone has experienced significant losses, they may not be financially able to manage bringing a child into the world at this time. The hurricane has also damaged several health facilities, and even though they may be up and running, they are still not operating at full capacity. This can make pregnancy risky in some areas, especially if pregnant women are high-risk and require extra attention and monitoring. To make matters worse, our maternal mortality rate is already higher than it ought to be.

Birth control in these areas is also important for another reason. Not all sexual encounters may be consensual. In other words, there is a likelihood of sexual assault, including rape, which can result in pregnancy. Females, both children and adults, staying in shelters are vulnerable, as are those staying in homes damaged by the storm. Shortly after the passage of Melissa, I was informed of an incident where a man broke into a home, compromised by the hurricane, and raped the female occupants at gunpoint. Research has also found that after these disasters, there tends to be an uptick in intimate partner violence, and this includes sexual violence.

GREAT DEMAND

Recently, someone I know was travelling to western Jamaica, and among the items I sent were condoms. When the person returned, they told me that there was a great demand for condoms in the area they visited and asked me to send more on their next visit, which I did. Shortly after that, I was interviewed for a newspaper article about the very same thing, which was sending condoms in care packages. I saw the article online, and some people baulked at the idea. But I think it is appropriate. Unlike contraceptive pills, which require counselling, condoms do not, and when used appropriately, reduce the risk of pregnancy. When sending items for assistance, in addition to food, clothing, and general health and hygiene products, supplies for reproductive health, such as feminine products, are also valuable. And condoms are too, not only for contraceptive purposes, but also for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and there has been a spike in those recently.

Yes, hurricane survivors are having sex. Rather than being judgmental, we should try to understand their situations. If you have been unaffected by the hurricane and are having sex, good for you. So why not want survivors to have the same privilege?

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams