We need measures to curb unsafe abortion

August 12 is commemorated as the International Youth Day, to reflect on the challenges youth face. In Uganda, one of the biggest challenges that youth, especially young girls, experience is early pregnancies and unsafe abortion.

According to a recent study from the UN population fund, a total of 354,736 teenage pregnancies were registered in 2020, while 295,219 were registered between Januarys to early September 2021. This implies that on average, more than 32,000 teenage pregnancies are recorded per month.

It is estimated that around 46,000 women die annually because of unsafe abortions while as many as 5 million suffer from abortion related complications.

It should be noted that the Ugandan law permits abortion under certain conditions, but laws and policies on abortion are imprecise and often interpreted incoherently. This makes it difficult for women as well as the medical community to comprehend what is legally permitted.

The Constitution under Article 22(2) provides that, ‘No person has the right to terminate the life of an unborn child except as may be authorized by law’. While not speaking exclusively to abortion, it is obviously inclusive of abortion.

 This article does not, itself, indicate substantively the circumstances under which abortion is authorised. Rather, it merely serves a legitimising role of giving constitutional legitimacy to legislative instruments and common law that regulate abortion but without providing explicit substantive content as a yardstick.

Uganda’s National Policy Guidelines and Service Standards for sexual, reproductive health and rights allows abortion in cases of severe fetal abnormalities; criminal circumstances such as rape, defilement, incest; and other health challenges such as cervical cancer, HIV or renal or cardiac complications.

Unfortunately even these do not have a legal backing. Because of this, medical providers are hesitant to perform an abortion for fear of legal consequences.

It’s estimated that about 297,000 illegal abortions are performed yearly in Uganda under clandestinely and in most cases by untrained people posing a serious threat to women’s health on top of avoidable costs. Available records show that nearly 85,000 women are treated annually for abortion related complications.

A report published by UNFPA in January this year indicates that about 64 percent of teenage mothers will not complete primary education level; 60 percent of teenage mothers will end up in peasant agriculture work while about  Shs645b will be spent by the government on healthcare for teen mothers.

In my opinion, this cost can be avoided by putting in place measures to deal with teenage pregnancies but also allowing safe abortion.

As we commemorate this Youth Day, let us be a progressive country that is alive to the needs of its population. Policy makers and the relevant government stakeholders like the Ministry of Health should bring back standards and guidelines to guide our professionals who are afraid of falling on the wrong side of the law.

In particular, it is important that safe abortion services be provided to the full extent as allowed by law.

Also concerted efforts are needed to reduce the costs associated with post abortion care in order to reduce the economic burden it places on women.

Women need accurate information on the availability of contraceptive services and greater efforts are needed to ensure that poor women in particular, are aware of and have access to these services. We can all be the change we want to see.

Sauni Samantha Nsiimenta, ED Advocates for Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.  [email protected]