Kenya – Shield women from avoidable deaths

Shield women from avoidable deaths

Evelyne Opondo
24th Sep 2019

Nine years ago, the country was embroiled in an intense debate over whether to ratify the then draft constitution or not. The opposition to its passage was led by religious groups against the provision that would allow pregnant women to access abortion when a trained health professional deemed their life or health to be in danger.

The groups argued that Kenyan women would now access abortion anytime, anywhere and the procedure could be performed by any hospital worker. The Kenyan people, however, on August 4, 2010, passed the Constitution with a resounding 67 per cent in favour of the ratification.

Continued: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001343057/shield-women-from-avoidable-deaths

24.09.2019

Featured

News

Africa Centre for Reproductive Rights

African Population and Health Research Centre

APHRC

Center for Reproductive Rights Kenya

Evelyne Opondo

JMM

Standards and Guidelines for Reducing Morbidity and Mortality from Unsafe Abortion

Kenya – Guidelines can stop unnecessary abortion deaths

Guidelines can stop unnecessary abortion deaths
Unsafe abortions could be one of the main causes of maternal mortality in Kenya.

By GEORGE MORARA
July 11, 2019

In April 2012, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights released a report on the status of sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls in Kenya. This was the result of a public inquiry following a complaint by the Federation of Women Lawyers and the Centre for Reproductive Rights that, despite having in place a progressive legal and policy framework, women and girls still face sexual and reproductive health violations.

ARBITRARILY DRAWN

The KNCHR cited several barriers that impede access to quality sexual and reproductive health services — including unavailability of abortion and post-abortion services, lack of accurate and comprehensive information and high cost of services.

Continued: https://mobile.nation.co.ke/blogs/Guidelines-can-stop-unnecessary-abortion-deaths/1949942-5192566-ck62ik/index.html

The Center wins a major victory for abortion rights in Africa

The Center wins a major victory for abortion rights in Africa

06.12.2019

In a groundbreaking decision, the High Court of Kenya ruled that the Ministry of Health’s 2014 withdrawal of the “Standards and Guidelines for Reducing Morbidity and Mortality from Unsafe Abortion in Kenya” (Standards & Guidelines), and its subsequent ban on abortion trainings for health care professionals, were arbitrary and unlawful. The Standards & Guidelines was an important policy document that guided health care providers on when and how they could provide safe and legal abortion and post-abortion services.

With this ruling, the five-judge bench has resoundingly reaffirmed the constitutional protections for legal abortions in Kenya when the life and health of the pregnant woman is threatened, including for survivors of sexual violence, or in cases of emergency.

Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/story/center-wins-major-victory-abortion-rights-africa

12.06.2019

Featured

News

abortion guidelines

Center for Reproductive Rights

Evelyne Opondo

JMM

Martin Onyango

tandards and Guidelines for Reducing Morbidity and Mortality from Unsafe Abortion in Kenya

Kenya’s high court to decide on safe abortion as teenager dies

Kenya's high court to decide on safe abortion as teenager dies

July 12, 2018
Nita Bhalla

NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenya’s high court is to decide if the government is responsible for the death of a teenager from a botched backstreet abortion, campaigners said on Thursday, in a case which could see safer abortions for thousands of women in the east African nation.

The girl - known by her initials JMM to protect her identity - was raped in 2014 at the age of 15. On discovering she was pregnant, she had a backstreet abortion that left her with injuries which eventually led to her death last month.

Continued: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-women-abortion/kenyas-high-court-to-decide-on-safe-abortion-as-teenager-dies-idUSKBN1K22DU

Teenager at centre of Kenyan court case over botched abortion has died

Teenager at centre of Kenyan court case over botched abortion has died
Family of raped teenager are demanding government reissues guidance on safe terminations after crackdown puts lives at risk

Rebecca Ratcliffe
Tue 10 Jul 2018

A teenager whose botched abortion was at the centre of a high court case in Kenya has died.

The girl, who was raped aged 14 and then left with horrific injuries after a backstreet termination, had been the subject of a controversy over whether the Kenyan government was to blame for her death.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/jul/10/high-court-kenya-government-girls-death-after-botched-abortion