SAfAIDS intensify campaigns against unsafe abortion

Choomba says increased punitive legislative framework, policies denying women access to safe abortion and limiting access to reproductive health rights is a major contributor to high death rate among pregnant women

By Francis Maingaila

Lusaka(20-02-2020) – SAfAIDS has has not only intensified the campaign for safe abortion among women and young girls but also advised state parties to reforms the laws and relax policies touching on abortion.
SAfAIDS acting deputy director in Zambia, Chrispin Choomba told journalists on the sidelines of the East Central and Southern Africa Health Community,  (ECSA) Conference held in Lusaka’s Pamodzi Taj Hotel that increased retrogressive and punitive legislative framework, policies denying women access to safe abortion, including freedom of choice, criminalise abortion and limiting access to reproductive rights is contributing to high rate of morbidity and mortality.
Choomba explained that denying women full body autonomy and agency and restricting access to comprehensive health service including safe abortion was complicating the health for young women who are sexually active.
Choonba said abortion is medically safe when World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended methods are used by trained officers.
It is Choomba’s considered view that, abortion tends to be safer where it is broadly legal than it is in more legally restrictive settings.
“It is for this reason that SAfAIDS and its corporating partners in the Southern Africa Community (SADC) are stressing efforts to promote access to comprehensive safe abortion information and service.
He said SAfAIDS is working towards transforming the policy environment to accelerate access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including countering the practice of unsafe abortion.
According to the recent World Demographic Survey, of the 1.64 billion women of reproductive age, 6% live countries where abortion is banned outright and 37% live where it is allowed without restriction as to reason.
Choomba said most women live in countries with laws that fall between these two extremes.
He observed that between 2000 and 2017, 33 countries expanded the circumstances under which abortion is legally permitted.
He suggested that abortion rates are similar in countries where abortion is highly restricted than where it is broadly legal.
“The abortion rate is over 37 per 1,000 women in countries that prohibit abortion altogether or allow it only to save a woman’s life, and slightly above  per 1,000 in countries that allow abortion without restriction.
He also suggested that unmet need for contraception and unintended pregnancy explain the levels of abortion in countries with high restrictive abortion laws.
Women with an unmet need for modern contraception to avoid a pregnancy resort to using traditional methods, which are less effective resulting them to getting unintended pregnancies which would in turn lead to abortion.
He observed the safety of abortion services has improved over the past decade with widening legality and an increasing reliance on medication abortion.
Regrettably, Choomba observed, the WHO safety guidelines are often only partially met in legally restrictive settings and this has lead to less-safe procedures.
“Treatment of complications has also improved with updated guidelines for post abortion care services.”
He also suggested that complications from unsafe abortions are still common in countries where abortion remains highly restricted.
And SRHR programs officer Charmaine Picardo said the initiative of the campaign for safe abortion aligns the continental, regional and national SRHR commitments and frameworks outlining the state duties to positively transform the lives of young women and girls in the region with the SDGs, Africa agenda 2063 and the Maputo place of action.
Picardo told journalists in another interview that SAfAIDS will continue to to strengthen the capacity of young people, regional youth organisations and networks in social accountability monitoring of the delivery of youths friendly SRHR information and services in the region.
She said the incidents of unsafe abortion is unnecessary causing the loss of life.
In order to increase access of women to safe abortion services and taking into account the advances in medical technology, Pucardo disclosed, SAfAIDS proposes reviews in certain laws and policies that touches on abortions.
If a woman is poor,  Picardo suggested, she is at much greater risk because she cannot afford to get the best medical facilities.
I can’t live in peace with my conscience knowing that a woman who has to have an abortion and can’t afford to, ends up in the hands of a medicine man that ends up hurting or killing her with a needle.”
She clarified that abortion is not mandatory for anybody.
“It’s an issue that need to be solved from a public health perspective.”