Abortion cases among adolescents raise queries
What you need to know:
- Background. In 2018, the government passed a National Sexuality Education Framework to guide childhood development and reproductive health and hygiene to save young people from early sex and its associated problems. However, the framework was later rescinded after religious leaders opposed it.
In February 2020, 18-year-old Juliet*, a resident of Busiu Town Council in Mbale District, was admitted to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital with severe post-abortion effects.
This was after Juliet had carried out an abortion without informing her parents about her pregnancy.
She instead confided in a friend, who took her to a private clinic in Mbale City for medical process.
Juliet said the person who claimed to be a doctor gave her about 24 tablets to swallow.
She said although the doctor managed to expel the foetus from the womb, she bled near to death and her friend, who took her to the clinic, abandoned her.
“When I came back to my senses, I found myself in Mbale Regional Referral Hospital. My sisters told me that I had bled to near death and the people who had taken me to the clinic had fled to avoid arrest,” she said.
Juliet’s story is similar to that experienced by many adolescents in Mbale District who have aborted because of one reason or another, according to the latest data.
Data compiled by the district biostatistician, Ms Margaret Kisakye, indicates that 2,227 abortions were conducted in all health centres in the area between 2017 to date.
Of these, 1,418 were for girls aged between 20 and 24 years, while the remaining 809 were for those aged between 10 and 19 years.
The findings were presented during a district youth engagement in Mbale District on Tuesday.
The meeting was organised by Uganda Youth and Adolescents Health Forum (UYAHF) in partnership with Men Engage and the East African Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI).
The NGOs are raising awareness against gender-based violence and improving uptake of family planning services in the district.
Ms Kisakye said if the use of contraceptives is not encouraged among the adolescents, cases of abortion will keep rising.
“Abortion cases are on the increase among the adolescents in the district and most of these are happening in the rural communities,” Ms Kisakye said.
According to the data, the most affected areas are Busiu Town Council, and Northern City and Industrial City Division in Mbale City, with most cases reported at Bufumbo Health Centre IV.
Ms Hellen Nakirya, a resident of Nakaloke Town Council, said many adolescent girls resort to crude abortion methods in an attempt to hide their actions from their parents.
“Some girls are buying medicine, especially young girls and induce labour and several of these attempts end badly,” she said.
Mr Moses Baganzi, a clinical officer at UYAHF, said limited knowledge on sexual and reproductive health rights by both adolescents and their parents affects use of contraceptives.
“Abortions in teenagers are on increase because they don’t decide. There is a need to give them information on contraceptive use,” Mr Baganzi said.
Ms Ruth Akello, a retired nurse, said denying adolescents access to reproductive health information leaves them vulnerable to unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
“I have seen adolescents who need contraceptives being turned away from private facilities and other public health centres,” Ms Akello said.
Mr Patrick Mwesigye, the executive director of UYAHF, said most of the abortions are a result of unwanted pregnancies.
“The burden of carrying a pregnancy without support causes these girls to opt for abortions, putting their lives at risk,” Mr Mwesigye said.