Unsafe abortions kill 70,000 annually
Oct 16, 2009
According to a Reuters’ report of Tuesday, unsafe abortions still kill 70,000 women each year and harm millions more. A global report noted that abortion restrictions have been relaxed in many countries and increased use of contraceptives has pushed glo
By Anne Abaho
According to a Reuters’ report of Tuesday, unsafe abortions still kill 70,000 women each year and harm millions more. A global report noted that abortion restrictions have been relaxed in many countries and increased use of contraceptives has pushed global abortion rates down.
The report by the US-based Guttmacher Institute revealed that almost 20 million unsafe abortions are still carried out in poor countries using inappropriate drugs or herbal potions, or by untrained traditional healers.
In Uganda, abortion is illegal and it can only be carried out to save the life of a woman after two doctors have consented. Therefore, most women do it in secret, using rudimentary methods and often under dangerous conditions. There are no official statistics on actual abortions but Dr. Peter Ibembe, the manager of the Reproductive Health Programme, estimates that about 300,000 abortions are carried out every year. And most of these are by adolescents of 15 to 19 years.
But there is data indicating that unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal sickness and death. According to the Health Professionals’ Survey, health facilities handle 110,000 women annually for complications of abortion. This means that 18 out of every 1,000 women aged 15–49 receive such care annually.
The survey explains that women give birth to almost seven children on average - two more children than they would prefer. This means nearly 40% of all births in a year are unwanted. With the gap between women’s desired family size and their fertility, as well as their low use of contraceptives, it is not surprising that many turn to abortion.
The Ministry of Health is considering the recommendations of a report it commissioned into the safety and legality of abortion. The report proposes legalising abortion in specific cases such as rape. But the ethics minister, Dr Nsaba Buturo, says the Government will not succumb to pressure to legalise the ‘evil of abortion’.
Indeed, the pressure is there. Doctors from Gulu recently petitioned Parliament to pass a law permitting abortion among school girls in the war-ravaged north. Several MPs have also asked the Government to be more flexible on the law on abortion. The Woman MP of Bundibugyo, Jane Alisemera, suggests that legalising abortion would save many women who die as a result of attempting clandestine abortion.
Some MPs also plan to table a private members’ Bill to legalise abortion in specific circumstances. The opposition to abortion is based on traditional, Christianity and Islam beliefs where abortion is seen as murder of a defenceless and innocent third party.
According to a Reuters’ report of Tuesday, unsafe abortions still kill 70,000 women each year and harm millions more. A global report noted that abortion restrictions have been relaxed in many countries and increased use of contraceptives has pushed global abortion rates down.
The report by the US-based Guttmacher Institute revealed that almost 20 million unsafe abortions are still carried out in poor countries using inappropriate drugs or herbal potions, or by untrained traditional healers.
In Uganda, abortion is illegal and it can only be carried out to save the life of a woman after two doctors have consented. Therefore, most women do it in secret, using rudimentary methods and often under dangerous conditions. There are no official statistics on actual abortions but Dr. Peter Ibembe, the manager of the Reproductive Health Programme, estimates that about 300,000 abortions are carried out every year. And most of these are by adolescents of 15 to 19 years.
But there is data indicating that unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal sickness and death. According to the Health Professionals’ Survey, health facilities handle 110,000 women annually for complications of abortion. This means that 18 out of every 1,000 women aged 15–49 receive such care annually.
The survey explains that women give birth to almost seven children on average - two more children than they would prefer. This means nearly 40% of all births in a year are unwanted. With the gap between women’s desired family size and their fertility, as well as their low use of contraceptives, it is not surprising that many turn to abortion.
The Ministry of Health is considering the recommendations of a report it commissioned into the safety and legality of abortion. The report proposes legalising abortion in specific cases such as rape. But the ethics minister, Dr Nsaba Buturo, says the Government will not succumb to pressure to legalise the ‘evil of abortion’.
Indeed, the pressure is there. Doctors from Gulu recently petitioned Parliament to pass a law permitting abortion among school girls in the war-ravaged north. Several MPs have also asked the Government to be more flexible on the law on abortion. The Woman MP of Bundibugyo, Jane Alisemera, suggests that legalising abortion would save many women who die as a result of attempting clandestine abortion.
Some MPs also plan to table a private members’ Bill to legalise abortion in specific circumstances. The opposition to abortion is based on traditional, Christianity and Islam beliefs where abortion is seen as murder of a defenceless and innocent third party.