“If I knew where to access safe services, a life would have been saved,” Mercy says.
On November 30, Mercy heard screams from her neighbour’s place, Cate.
On a normal occasion, it would be her husband physically abusing her but for this day, the screams were different. She found her oozing blood; her eyes were red.
Cate was rushed to a local dispensary where it was discovered she had procured an unsafe abortion. She was then referred to one of the public facilities in Nairobi but, unfortunately, she died before being attended to.
Cate’s story represents the realities of many women in Kenya who experience silent deaths and complications from unsafe abortions.
According to a study conducted in 2012 by the Ministry of Health, nearly 465,000 induced abortions occurred that year and nearly 120,000 women received care for complications from induced abortions.
An estimated 2,600 Kenyan women die from unsafe abortions annually.
Mercy says when Cate’s husband heard of her death, he kept on lamenting how Cate had embarrassed him. Not forgetting when Cate had started experiencing symptoms, he delayed her from visiting a medical facility on time.
Third-party authorisation including parental and partner consent increases women’s vulnerabilities to Gender-Based Violence and is one of the greatest barriers hindering women and girls from realizing their sexual reproductive health and rights.
Health experts say there could be very high numbers of women who die from unsafe abortion and its complications.
Most of these deaths go unreported because of the stigma and shame associated with abortion. These deaths and injuries are violations of human rights.
Deaths and complications from unsafe abortions are relentlessly magnifying the consequence of inequalities in the healthcare space.
Although Kenya has a progressive constitution that provides for access to abortion as a right, in the opinion of a provider and case the health of the mother is in danger; the penal code and the constitution are not aligned.
Therefore, this fuels harassment and stigma for healthcare providers, women and girls seeking safe abortion services.
In 2019, a landmark ruling presided over by a five-judge bench at the High Court was made to reinstate Standards and Guidelines for Reducing Morbidity and Mortality from Unsafe Abortion in Kenya.
Unfortunately, women and girls are unable to access safe and legal abortions as stipulated.
Women’s lives matters, deaths and complications from unsafe abortions are preventable.
The government should uphold its global commitments and clarify legal grounds for abortion and strengthen the existing laws, policies and guidelines.
Stakeholders must work together to promote an enabling social and legal environment to ensure women can access lifesaving Sexual Reproductive Health services including safe abortion.
Community members should be informed of the availability of these services through dialogues and awareness campaigns.
Youth project coordinator at Reproductive Health Network Kenya
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
