The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened already existing inequalities and magnified the harmful impacts of patriarchy and gender injustice in Kenya.
Though traditional and social norms limited women’s access to family planning and sexual and reproductive health services prior to the pandemic, the situation has become worse for vulnerable women.
The essence of reproductive justice is linking reproductive rights with the social, political and economic inequalities affecting women’s ability to access reproductive healthcare services.
Time and again we have seen growing attacks on women’s reproductive rights, making it necessary to build and strengthen a new generation that will fight for unrestricted access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare.
The prevalence of unsafe backstreet abortions and the resulting deaths can no longer be ignored. Every year between 4.7-13.2 per cent of maternal deaths is attributed to unsafe abortion.
In Kenya, abortion may be provided under the provisions of Article 26 (IV) of the Constitution. Article 43 provides for the highest attainable standards of health.
Safe abortion is part of reproductive health and should be clearly outlined under the comprehensive abortion care guidelines and standards of practice for medical practitioners.
Kenya is in dire need of a reproductive justice framework that encompasses a wide range of issues affecting the reproductive lives of marginalised women, including access to contraceptives, prevention and treatment for STIs, domestic violence assistance and alternative birth options.
The rise of unsafe abortions is a symptom of this lack of an intersectional approach to the reproductive health needs of women.
Such a comprehensive approach to women’s healthcare will emphasise and address the social, political, and economic systemic inequalities affecting women's reproductive health and their ability to control their reproductive lives.
Kenya must protect women’s lives and health by providing an enabling regulatory and policy environment to ensure that every woman who meets the constitutional and legal threshold has ready access to good quality abortion services.
Therefore, it is critical to create awareness on reproductive justice to highlight and tackle some of the greatest challenges women face regarding equitable access to sexual and reproductive health services and information.
The recommendations I’m putting forth include: Eliminating disparities in reproductive healthcare, including maternal mortality and unsafe abortions, which requires improved access to contraceptive services and maternal healthcare; training healthcare providers to avoid racial stereotypes and provide high-quality care to all women; strengthening monitoring and accountability measures for maternal mortality in line with human rights standards.
Moreover there is need to eliminate discriminatory policies that restrict adolescent girls and women’s access to sexual and reproductive health, including safe abortion; ensuring the provision of equitable allocation of sexual and reproductive health resources by prioritising the most marginalised populations.
This can be done through the following measures: Fully funding the expansion of community health centres to increase access to contraception and safe abortion services. Additionally, the Ministry of Education should support the delivery of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education in schools, community centres, and other settings to deal with the menace of teen pregnancy.
Youth advocate at the Network for Adolescents and Youth of Africa - Kenya
