Barren Beliefs: The Sterilization Campaign and Contraception in Peru

La traducción de este artículo también aparece en nuestra Hemeroteca con el título de "Creencias estériles: la esterilización y anticoncepción en el Peru" This paper examines the sociocultural ramifications of a government-mandated sterilization campaign which took place in Peru during the late 1990s. Subsequently, it depicts the contraceptive decisions of those living in the Department of Cusco, Peru, which was highly-targeted during the sterilization campaign. I argue that both male and female agency in contraceptive decision-making is impeded by structural, economic, and sociocultural constraints. These conclusions are based on interviews and participant observation conducted within the rural towns and villages, as well as the city of Cusco, located in the Department of Cusco. Informants included government medical clinic staff, private medical clinic staff, women of reproductive age, and men of reproductive age. Qualitative analyses centered on experiences with contraceptives and sterilization, measures of government control over contraception, cultural identity, and the economic necessity to employ contraceptive methods. Based on these results, I conclude that approaches to examining contraceptive use and sterilizations in the developing world must address the structural, sociocultural, and economic constraints that impact agency and ethics in the administering of temporary and permanent contraceptive methods.