Misconceptions of contraceptive medical technologies on children born with disabilities in Zimbabwe: African traditional and religious ethical perspective

Ringson, J. and Sande, N. (2023) Misconceptions of contraceptive medical technologies on children born with disabilities in Zimbabwe: African traditional and religious ethical perspective. In: Baikady, R., Sajid, S.M., Nadesan, V., Przeperski, J., Islam, M. R. and Gao, J. (eds.) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Change. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham, pp. 1-19. ISBN 9783030876241 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-87624-1_394-1)

Abstract

Information disorder and misalignment in health, religion, and culture have derailed the efficaciousness of medical technologies in different facets of life, especially in developing countries. Notwithstanding the progressive advancement of contraceptive medical technologies currently experienced in Africa, the religious and cultural misconceptions of contraceptive medical technologies as a catalyst for children born with disabilities are unabatedly escalating within the rural communities in Zimbabwe. It is commonplace to find people snubbing medical technologies based on African traditional religious (ATR) values, ethics, and beliefs on disabilities. This study reviewed past and current literature in Africa and Zimbabwe to examine the impact of the misconceptions associated with medical technologies in children born with disabilities on the advancement of global social change in Zimbabwe. The desktop study reviewed phenomenological and ethnographic literature and the gray literature as information-rich resources. The literature that included people with disabilities, their parents, traditional leaders, and religious leaders as an area of focus or study participants were used in this study. These previous studies also focused on establishing the participants’ spiritual experiences, views, and perceptions on the ethical effect of medical technologies on children born with disabilities. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data extracted from the articles reviewed and the gray literature from African and Zimbabwean communities. The findings reflect a balanced positive and negative effect of the misconceptions of the medical technologies as a catalyst to children born with disabilities from ATRs from an ethical point of view. In conclusion, the study recommends a multistakeholder engagement in demystifying the misconceptions about medical technologies and disability within the rural communities of Zimbabwe.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Sande, Dr Nomatter
• Authors: Ringson, J., and Sande, N.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociology Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences
• Journal Name: The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Change
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• ISBN: 9783030876241