Medically ending a pregnancy before it has the chance to result in the birth of a baby is abortion (Izugbara, Otsola, & Ezeh, 2009). Abortion is yet to be legalized in Kenya due to pro-life and pro-choice squabbles. Pro-life believers especially the church believe children are God’s gift and should not be killed whatever the case. Pro-choice believers are of the opinion that each individual should have the right to choose whether to keep the pregnancy or terminate it due to varied reasons. Abortion should be one's choice.
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'Legalization of Abortion'
Kenya’s population according to the last census stands at 41.6 million this figure estimates that there are about 36 new births per 1000 population (East African Center for Law and Justice, 2016). Kenya is a growing economy and is yet to have the resources to support a 2.5% birth rate yearly. Research shows most of the pregnancies are unplanned and mostly occur among the lower social class who cannot afford to provide themselves with a decent living. Africa especially Kenya is socially conservative thus pregnancy resulting before marriage is considered an indecent act more especially if it occurs among teenagers. Parents unwilling to face the social stigma take their children for abortions in backstreet clinics where the medical practitioners have no medical qualifications in Medicine let alone Gynaecology. They use unsterilized tools and non-certified methods to perform abortions. Each year 21,000 are admitted to hospital due to practicing unsafe abortions and 2,600 succumb to death either due to infections, complications or excess blood loss (East African Center for Law and Justice, 2016).
Abortion in the rural setting is completely loathed as compared to urban areas as people here are more liberal. Life in the rural setting is difficult; finances are strained as most people depend on small scale farming as their source of income. Therefore, any addition to the family comes to strain the meagre resources more; they may not have the chance to get a decent education which ultimately affects the jobs available to them. The poverty cycle, as a result, continues instead of encouraging births parents, and the society cannot afford safe abortion seems the best option in such situations. Social stigma is a huge factor in rural settings thus unwanted pregnancies are completely hidden, and mothers to the victims result to unconventional ways to terminate pregnancies. Familiar methods used to induce abortion in the rural areas are the use of pills or concoctions. Concoctions are usually a mix of shrubs that have no scientific basis for use in abortions, but old women are assumed experienced thus have the responsibility to prepare them. A 17 year old girl almost died after taking one of the concoctions, as expressed by one of the credited national newspapers in Kenya.
Rape results in unplanned and unwanted pregnancies which prompt the victims to resort to abortions. According to the Kenyan constitution, abortion is only permitted if the health of the mother is in danger in the trained health professional’s view (East African Center for Law and Justice, 2016). Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) in Kenya advocates for women rape victims. CRR provides them with affordable health care after rape, consultation and support groups and represents them against perpetrators in court (Center For Reproductive Rights, 2016). Recently CRR represented JMM, a rape victim, who was raped at the age of 15, sought unsafe abortion and now has chronic kidney disease which was the effect of the abortion. To avoid such cases and many more that go unreported the Kenyan government needs to legalize abortion. Legalizing abortion will give women the confidence they need to walk into a credible hospital and seek this service which will, in turn, reduce maternal mortality.
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In conclusion legalizing abortion seems only to have positive effects as it contributes to the reduction of maternal mortality, protects women reproductive health and reduces the stigma associated to abortion. Abortions will allow women have a second chance in life especially for the rape victims and protect the unborn from exposure to abject poverty.
Works Cited
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Center For Reproductive Rights. (2016). Kenyan Women Denied Safe, Legal Abortion Services | Center for Reproductive Rights. Retrieved from https://www.reproductiverights.org/press-room/kenyan-women-denied-safe-legal-abortion-services
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East African Center for Law and Justice. (2016). Abortion In Kenya. Retrieved November 22, 2016, from http://eaclj.org/about-us/7-fida-and-kclf-landscaped-comparison.html
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Izugbara, O., Otsola, K. J., & Ezeh, (2009). Men, women, and abortion in central Kenya: a study of lay narratives. Medical Anthropology, 28(4), 397-425.
