CIRHT News Review: Global Days salute Contraception and Abortion Care

by admin · October 30, 2018

A Month of Days

September saw international days devoted to Contraception and to Safe Abortion. In many African countries, debate continued on all sides of the issues – from legal battles to healthcare initiatives to political grandstanding.

In Burkina Faso, there’s movement to legalize abortion, heavily opposed by evangelical churches. One report states that Botswana has “turned into a huge underground abortion clinic,” citing “unscrupulous sharks [who] make a roaring business.” In Kenya, where “Unsafe abortions kill seven Kenyans daily,” which leads to a “staggering cost” for the health system, Marie Stopes International denied the accusation it was “promoting abortion” and had its ads banned, an order the organization defied as others press for greater access to safe abortion to contain those maternal deaths.

Nigeria also saw calls for an end to its “booming abortion black market”, in which a majority of the 2.7 million abortions annually are considered unsafe. One suggested solution: greater access to contraceptives. One harrowing report from Lesotho notes that in one hospital, 15 young women are admitted every week for complications from unsafe abortion. But rather than change the laws or the health system, “Lesotho officials are known to surreptitiously advise women to go across the border for safe abortions in South Africa,” which few can afford. And though it is legal in South Africa, access remains problematic, in some cases “thwarted by Christian groups”, or by stigma, or through systemic weaknesses.

Malawi is debating its 157-year-old law, while “women continue to die from backstreet abortions.” Activists in the Republic of Congo are pushing for decriminalization. In Tanzania though abortion is illegal, “one in three pregnancies is terminated.” In Uganda, one woman was charged with “procuring a miscarriage”, while two midwives fled a health facility because they accused of carrying out an abortion. While difficult to measure because of the stigma and illegality, a Guttmacher report cites 57,000 abortions in Uganda each year.

The FP2020 annual report “shows significant progress towards FP2020 commitment fulfillment.” African countries reporting success include Zimbabwe’s “contraception prevalence rate improving”, Uganda’s use of “behavioral science to improve FP services”, the use of Hausa proverbs to increase uptake in Niger, Kenya’s exceeding its contraceptive use target, and use of advocacy at youth health clubs in Liberia.

A study in Mauritania clearly showed a direct correlation between use of family planning and maternal mortality, while a report from Namibia stated clearly, “Contraceptives empower women.”

Rwanda aired debates about contraception, including UM-CIRHT partner Dr. Stephen Rulisa. (See below for more Rwanda World Contraception Day activity)

The stance of the Tanzanian government on contraception is confusing to understand, as “President John Magufuli advised against birth control,” chiding those who embraced family planning as “lazy” because they could not support a large family. That resulted in suspension of USAID-backed family planning advertisements. Those actions were condemned by MPs, the opposition party, and by Amnesty International. The health ministry then “clarified”, saying the remarks, “did not contradict its reproductive health policy objectives.”

Botswana

Botswana turns into a huge underground abortion clinic, Sunday Standard, 23 Sep 2018

Burkina Faso

Projet d’interruption volontaire de grossesses, Sidwaya, 3 Sep 2018

Projet de legalisation de l’avortement: Les églises évangéliques farouchement opposées, Le Pays, 4 Sep 2018

Cote d’Ivoire

Grossesse en milieu scolaire: Le cas de la ville de Ouélé est « alarmant », révèle l’Aibef, Fratmat, 11 Sep 2018

e-Swatini

The Ngwenya town board take a stand for children sexual reproductive health and rights, Gender Links, 6 Sep 2018

Ethiopia

Marie Stopes, BlueStar team-up on family planning issues, The Reporter, 15 Sep 2018

Timely initiation of postpartum contraceptive utilization and associated factors among women of child bearing age in Aroressa District, Southern Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study, BMC Public Health, 6 Sep 2018