PATRICIA AKANKWATSA, The Independent
July 23, 2021
Uganda’s response to COVID-19 has negatively impacted maternal, child and neonatal health, accord[1]ing to data by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The UNFPA says the biggest and longest lasting impact is seen in complications of pregnancy, stillbirths and low-birth weight infants likely due to delayed care-seeking behaviour.
Continued: https://www.independent.co.ug/covid-19-affects-maternal-health-care/
By Sade Oguntola
On Jul 22, 2021
Beyond building the capacity of health workers, policy and legislation, Ipas Nigeria, an international non-governmental organisation promoting issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights of women, says it averted over 642,000 unsafe abortions and nearly 150,000 unintended pregnancies in its over 20 years of operation in Nigeria.
Deputy Director, Ipas Nigeria, Mr Sam Amade speaking at the 20 years celebration and dissemination meeting with key stakeholders in the SRHR space in Nigeria, with the theme “Ipas Nigeria: Our Journey, Our Future” said the nearly 600,000 women have accessed post-abortion care (PAC) and comprehensive abortion care (CAC) services and over 230,000 women received modern contraceptive services.
Precious Manomano,o Herald Reporter
12 July 2021
Cases of illegal abortions are on the increase and posing a serious health threat to women and young girls.
Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Community and Small and Medium Enterprises and other stakeholders are conducting awareness campaigns with the thrust to invoke women to stand up and avert abortion.
Continued: https://www.herald.co.zw/illegal-abortions-to-be-tackled/
July 9, 2021
Reuters
CANNES, France, July 9 (Reuters) - The director behind "Lingui", a Cannes Film Festival entry about a teenager's battle in Chad to get an abortion, said on Friday he hoped the story would resonate well beyond the African country, including in places like the United States where there are vocal anti-abortion movements.
Mahamet-Saleh Haroun said he was inspired to explore the issue after reading stories about babies abandoned or killed by their young mothers in Chad, where abortion is only allowed in specific cases where a woman's life is in danger.
If good measures are taken, the annual number of unplanned births would decrease from 885,000 to 200,000 and the number of abortions would drop from 1.3 million to 287,000,” the official said.
By Nike Adebowale
July 7, 2021
Due to what they described as unmet needs of contraceptives in Nigeria, health experts have said Nigeria annually records about 2.5 million cases of unintended pregnancy.
The duo of Christopher Aimakhu, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Oyo State, and Abubakar Panti, a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, gave some startling statistics about family planning in Nigeria on Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua
2021-07-05
NAIROBI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Three African countries including Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Uganda on Monday joined hands with international donors to launch an initiative aimed at improving access to reproductive health services including contraceptives.
Senior policymakers said the launch of Shaping Equitable Market Access (SEMA) for Reproductive Health initiative will help reduce unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions among women and girls in Africa and other low-income countries.
Continued: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2021-07/06/c_1310044494.htm
5 July 2021
FIGO Advocating for Safe Abortion Project|
OBGYNs and midwives are part of an essential ecosystem of health workers that provide crucial health care in delivering women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) globally. In lower-middle-income countries where health care facilities outside of capitals can be few and dispersed, midwives in particular are counted on to ensure that women, girls, and newborns receive appropriate care, support and counselling. Professor Boni Serge, President of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Côte d’Ivoire (SOGOCI), shared with us the important leadership role midwives have in Côte d’Ivoire.
Midwives are critical in the fight to reduce preventable maternal deaths and disability
Data from 2016 showed that, with a population of over 20 million, there are not enough health care workers in this coastal West African country (WHO, 2016). More recent data show that while there are more than 6,000 midwives spread across the Ivorian territory, there are only just over 440 OBGYNs. In addition, there is an unequal geographical distribution of these OBGYNs, with the majority of them located in the Ivorian economic capital of Abidjan.
Continued: https://www.figo.org/news/midwives-critical-key-ensuring-women-and-girls-health-globally
1 JULY 2021
By Tijani Salami
A year ago, I met a 26-year-old breastfeeding mother who was a graduate student. She was married with three children; the youngest was just eight months old. She started using oral contraceptives after the return of her menses following the birth, but she hid the pills from her husband. When he discovered them, he forced her to throw them away.
Not long after that, she conceived again. Three months later, she had a miscarriage caused by stress. She was admitted into hospital with infection and blood loss. Thankfully, she survived, and her husband has since changed his attitude towards contraceptive use.
With new restrictions on abortion headed to the Supreme Court, many are wondering what it will mean for women if Roe v. Wade is overturned. We looked to other countries for answers.
6/27/2021
by MARJORIE NEWMAN-WILLIAMS
Consider this: Every day around the world some 96,000 women risk their lives to an unsafe abortion, seeking to end an unintended pregnancy. Millions of women face complications following an unsafe abortion and at least 22,000 die every year. This latest push to overturn Roe v. Wade aims to deny women autonomous control over their own bodies and presages a return to the days before Roe, in the U.S. when the death rate due to illegal abortion among women of color was 12 times that of white women.
MSI Reproductive Choices works in many
countries where abortion is heavily restricted and we are called on daily to
provide life-saving post-abortion care to women and girls who tried to end an
unwanted pregnancy themselves. Faith Pyentim, a midwife from Nigeria, described
one teenage girl who sought help after a desperate attempt to end an unintended
pregnancy. “There was a bad smell, so we knew there was infection. She was 17
then, unmarried with a child at home already.”
Continued: https://msmagazine.com/2021/06/27/abortion-restrictions-supreme-court-global-women-health-death/
Jun 17, 2021
Russell Kondowe
Chiradzulu West Member of Parliament Dr Mathews Ngwale has withdrawn his intention to table a private member’s motion on Abortion Bill, saying stakeholders should continue sensitising and civic-educating people in the country about what the bill says.
Ngwale who is also Chairperson
for the Parliamentary Committee on Health said a lot of people are not aware of
the importance for law on safe abortion to be legislated hence it is important
for people to be sensitised.
Continued: https://malawi24.com/2021/06/17/abortion-motion-withdrawn-to-pave-way-for-civic-education/
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