In Namibia’s abortion debate, echoes of a repressive history

In Namibia's abortion debate, echoes of a repressive history
Opponents argue the restrictions represent a troubled legacy of apartheid rule, echoing debates around Africa about what to do with laws left over from colonial days. Others say they reflect contemporary views in a deeply religious country.

Ryan Lenora Brown, Staff writer
January 11, 2018

Windhoek, Namibia—The president’s voice came booming in through the open window of Rosa Namises’ house, crackling over the speakers from the soccer stadium next door.

It was the early 1990s, just years after Namibia’s independence from South Africa, a time when nearly every speech a politician here gave seemed full of outsized meaning – like a series of patriotic “how to” guides on building a new country.

That day in her kitchen, Ms. Namises heard President Sam Nujoma explain that Namibia was a small nation. Too small, in fact. It simply didn’t have enough people.

Continued at source: https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2018/0111/In-Namibia-s-abortion-debate-echoes-of-a-repressive-history