Zimbabwe – Unsafe abortions a major public health concern

Muchaneta Chimuka
21 January 2021

Unsafe abortion cases are rife among youth
and adults in Zimbabwe owing to high medical costs, restrictive abortion laws
and lack of or inadequate youth friendly clinics that offers sexual
reproductive health services, negative attitudes by service providers towards
patients, lack of knowledge on how and where to seek services among others.

The 2020 #VoiceandChoice Barometer notes that 24 percent of all pregnancies in
Southern Africa end in abortion.

Continued: https://www.chronicle.co.zw/unsafe-abortions-a-major-public-health-concern/

Trump left international abortion rights in shambles, activists say. Can Biden undo the damage?

Biden vowed to repeal the ‘global gag rule,’ but Trump’s ‘anti-woman rhetoric’ isn’t necessarily going away

Urooba Jamal
Jan. 19, 2021

In 2019, Melvine Ouyo, a health policy expert and reproductive rights activist, attended a conference in her city of Nairobi, where antiabortion campaigners were protesting the event. Shortly after that, Ouyo said, she met a pregnant 14-year old girl who had no information about how she could access a safe abortion if she chose.

Ouyo said she believes that if the Trump administration’s “global gag rule” — a U.S. foreign aid policy that restricts funding for abortion-related services — had not been in place, the campaigners wouldn’t have had such a prominent platform, and the girl would have had more information about her reproductive health options.

Continued: https://www.thelily.com/trump-left-international-abortion-rights-in-shambles-activists-say-can-biden-undo-the-damage/

Safe Abortion Advocacy across the air waves in Mozambique

8 January 2021
Eunice Themba, Project Manager, AMOG

Standing in solidarity with women and girls to mark the 2020 global campaign of 16 days of activism to end gender based violence (GBV), the Mozambican Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (AMOG), together with its partner Mozambique Radio, launched an information campaign to spread awareness of Mozambique’s abortion law.

Radio listeners in Sofala, Maputo, Tete, Nampula and Xai Xai tuned in to Mozambique radio and participated in a series of radio call-in shows to ask questions and provide thoughts on how awareness and understanding of Mozambique’s abortion law could be strengthened.

Continued: https://www.figo.org/news/safe-abortion-advocacy-across-air-waves-mozambique

08.01.2021

Featured

News

Advocacy for Safe Abortion

AMOG

Emilia Goncalves

Eunice Themba

Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group

Mozambican Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Nigeria – Training drug sellers on safe abortion to reduce maternal mortality

By Stanley Akpunonu
17 December 2020

Scientists have urged the federal, state, and local governments to work with drug sellers associations to improve the quality of abortion medication services in the country, given their critical role in providing drugs to prevent severe morbidity and mortality caused by unsafe abortion procedures.

The scientists who made known to the media the findings of their study on Women’s Experience with Self-Managed Misoprostol Abortions in Lagos State said governments must take steps to train drug sellers to share key information on the safe and effective use of the World Health Organisation recommended abortion medication, Misoprostol, to protect women from dying from unwanted pregnancy and related conditions.

Continued: https://guardian.ng/features/training-drug-sellers-on-safe-abortion-to-reduce-maternal-mortality/

17.12.2020

self-managed abortion

training drug sellers on safe abortion

World Health Organisation

Group urges Nasarawa to consider burden of unsafe abortion

December 14, 2020
Mohammed Yangida

A researched body called Performance Monitoring Accountability (PAC) in collaboration with the Nasarawa state Ministry of Health weekend advised government at all levels on the burden of unsafe abortion- related maternal deaths and injuries on women.

Nasarawa state director, Public Health, Dr. Ibrahim Adamu Alhassan, gave the advice in Lafia, Saturday, at a one- day seminar on abortion survey dissemination to mitigate the rate of abortion.

Continued: https://www.blueprint.ng/group-urges-nasarawa-to-consider-burden-of-unsafe-abortion/

14.12.2020

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Dr. Ibrahim Adamu Alhassan

Nasarawa state Ministry of Health

Performance Monitoring Accountability

Zimbabwe: Unsafe Abortions Are a Major Public Health Concern

13 DECEMBER 2020
By Muchaneta Chimuka

Unsafe abortion cases are rife among youth and adults in Zimbabwe owing to high medical costs, restrictive abortion laws and lack of or inadequate youth friendly clinics that offers sexual reproductive health services, negative attitudes by service providers towards patients, lack of knowledge on how and where to seek services among others.

The 2020 #VoiceandChoice Barometer notes that 24% of all pregnancies in Southern Africa end in abortion. Although no Southern African country totally bans abortion, most conditions under which women can obtain abortions remain restrictive.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202012140629.html

Malawi – Youths urged to show strong support for abortion bill

Dec 12, 2020
Archangel Nzangaya

The Malawi Parliamentary Health Committee has urged young people in the country to show strong support for the passing of Termination of Pregnancy Bill (TPB), saying the bill is important to the youth.

This is according to the chairperson for the Parliamentary Health Committee Dr Mathews Ngwale who was speaking on Thursday in Blantyre at the commemoration of international human rights day which falls on 10th December.

Continued: https://malawi24.com/2020/12/12/youths-urged-to-show-strong-support-for-abortion-bill/

12.12.2020

Malawi Parliamentary Health Committee

sexual and reproductive health and rights

Termination of Pregnancy Bill

Malawi Muslim Council Endorses Abortion Bill

8 DECEMBER 2020, Nyasa Times (Leeds)
By Chipambano Mbewe

A group of Sheikh's leaders from different Muslim organisations in the country which are under the Qadriyyah Muslim Association of Malawi (QMAM) through Qadriyyah Ulama Council in Malawi (QUCM) has come out to openly support the controversial proposed Termination of Pregnancy Bill.

The grouping officials on Monday came out in the open to support the bill which has been sharply criticised by some Christians and Muslims.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202012081173.html

Lesotho: Unsafe Abortion – a Growing Concern in Lesotho

8 DECEMBER 2020
By Majara Molupe

Maseru — There is increasing concern in Lesotho over increasing numbers of unsafe abortion. This unsafe abortion is carried out by individuals who do not have expertise to dabble in such practice.

Abortion in Lesotho is criminalised and any person who willingly causes or induces the termination of a pregnancy commits can face imprisonment of up to three years. Criminalising abortion means healthcare providers are unable to provide much needed health care for women.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202012080817.html

PARHA discusses safe abortion plan in Sierra Leone

Lamin Idriss Conteh
Dec 7, 2020

The People’s Alliance for Reproductive Health Advocacy (PARHA) Coalition last week engaged Media practitioners at the YCMA Hall, Fort Street in Freetown on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights issues. Organizers said the objective was to support them in their plans in achieving the “Safe Abortion” campaign.

Leaders in this reproductive campaign say
that sexual reproductive health is not only meant for women but men too and
that it is important to advocate for the safety of each and every party.

Continued: https://www.politicosl.com/articles/parha-discusses-safe-abortion-plan-sierra-leone

07.12.2020