A SECTION of medical practitioners are urging the government to review laws to pave the way for safe abortion.
Currently abortion is illegal although some provisions in the new constitution allow medics to conduct the procedure in the event that a pregnancy might be harmful to the mother. Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society in conjunction with Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance has called on the government to create an enabling environment for the public to be sensitised on the subject, which has for long been controversial.
The group which today concludes its 36th annual scientific conference at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi is calling upon the government to adopt a comprehensive abortion care that will reduce abortion-related deaths. It is estimates that 8,000 women die each year from maternal related complications and abortion takes the lead.
A renowned obstetrician from University of Nairobi, Joseph Karanja, said that only 42 per cent of all births recorded are delivered in hospitals. "Let us not look at the rights of the foetus alone, but consider also those of the mother," he said. He said the group has developed safe abortion standard guidelines for use by health care givers. If implemented, the guidelines will give directions on four key areas of focus when tackling the abortion advocacy. It will range from abstinence to post abortion counseling and emergency care.
However, the experts feel that the public has little information on the provisions, a situation that has led to majority of the people not accessing safe and legal abortion services. The medics argue that due to the stiff laws imposed by the state, coupled with other beliefs such as religion, many women continue to die from unscrupulous quarks who operate at back streets. "It is of paramount importance that health providers and Kenyans in general understand the implications of the constitution in order to help avert more deaths arising from unsafe abortions," a city gynaecologist John Nyamu said.
He regretted the suppressing of health workers, saying the harrassments by authorities has contributed to the high statstics of unsafe abortion across the country. "We need law and reforms, as well as create public awareness," he said, adding that training of health workers to know their legal rights was vital. Dismissing claims that the group is pro-death, Nyamu said, "Our role is to improve life and refine it."
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201202180043.html
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