Teenage girls turn to rat poison as unsafe abortion ‘epidemic’ spirals

Abortion is illegal in Sierra Leone, forcing women to abort unwanted pregnancies via dangerous practices. The consequences can be fatal

By Tom Collins
13 December 2022

Fanella Bola lay against the perimeter walls of a hospital in Sierra Leone and cried at the thought of going through with her pregnancy. The 17-year-old had been turned away from almost every hospital in the capital city of Freetown, where abortion is illegal.

As she dried her tears and prepared to trudge home, the schoolgirl was approached by a market woman who said there was another way.

Continued: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/teenage-girls-turn-rat-poison-unsafe-abortion-epidemic-spirals/

Sierra Leone backs bill to legalise abortion and end colonial-era law

Country hails ‘monumental step’ towards expanding reproductive rights at a time when the US has overturned them

Emmanuel Akinwotu, west Africa correspondent
Wed 6 Jul 2022

Ministers in Sierra Leone have taken a major step towards decriminalising abortion and overturning the country’s colonial-era law, in a move hailed by campaigners and women’s rights activists.

President Julius Maada Bio said his cabinet had unanimously backed a bill on risk-free motherhood, which would expand access to abortion in a country where terminations are only permitted when a mother’s life is at risk.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jul/06/sierra-leone-backs-bill-to-legalise-abortion-and-end-colonial-era-law

As US Guts Reproductive Rights, Sierra Leone Moves to Decriminalize Abortion

BY Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams
July 2, 2022

As the U.S. Supreme Court and Republican-controlled state legislatures void the constitutional right to abortion in the United States, Sierra Leone on Friday joined the growing list of African nations that have moved to protect the health and rights of pregnant people by decriminalizing the medical procedure.

“At a time in the world when sexual and reproductive health rights for women are either being overturned or threatened, we are proud that Sierra Leone can once again lead with progressive reform,” Julius Maada Bio, president of the West African nation, said during his closing remarks at the 10th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in the capital city of Freetown.

Continued: https://truthout.org/articles/as-us-guts-reproductive-rights-sierra-leone-moves-to-decriminalize-abortion/

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

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Survey on Safe Abortion in Sierra Leone starts May

Survey on Safe Abortion in Sierra Leone starts May

By Mabinty M. Kamara
21 March 2020

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), an Independent Research Institution based in Kenya, in partnership with Statistics Sierra Leone, have announced that a proposed survey on safe abortion in Sierra Leone will start in May this year.

The revelation was made on Wednesday at a stakeholders’ conference held to discuss and understand common problems associated with abortion in the country.

Continued: https://www.politicosl.com/articles/survey-safe-abortion-sierra-leone-starts-may

Statistics Sierra Leone to start survey on safe abortion

Statistics Sierra Leone to start survey on safe abortion

By Mabinty M. Kamara
16 March 2020

Statistics Sierra Leone, in Partnership with the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), an independent research institution based in Kenya, is set to conduct a research on resources available to access safe abortion in Sierra Leone.

The research, according to Samuel Ansumana, Director of Communication and Information at Statistic Sierra Leone, falls under a four-year project “Challenging the Politics of Social Exclusion” (CPSE) project to be implemented in Sierra Leone.

Continued: https://www.politicosl.com/articles/statistics-sierra-leone-start-survey-safe-abortion

The African ‘Women’s Wave’ is powered by pro-choice Christian feminists

The African ‘Women’s Wave’ is powered by pro-choice Christian feminists

January 18, 2019
Meagan Clark

As a young girl without much education, Anwuli moved more than 500 km (or 300 miles) to the sprawling megacity of Lagos, Nigeria’s capital, to find work as a maid. She never imagined her employer, or “master” as the term is still used, a family man with two children, would rape her.

When Anwuli’s pregnant belly began showing, the man’s wife threw her out of the house before anyone could find out what her husband had done. Unemployed and living with a girl friend, Anwuli met a woman named Olive Iroegbu, a community health worker for a Christian organization that aims to educate youth about sexual health and help victims of sexual abuse.

Continued: https://themediaproject.org/news/2019/1/19/the-african-womens-wave-is-powered-by-pro-choice-christian-feminists

Sierra Leone News: Family planning key to development

Sierra Leone News: Family planning key to development – MSSL

By Sylvia Villa
Wednesday June 27, 2018.

Evidence from the United Nations Population Fund shows that women who have access to family planning and choose to use family planning, have smaller families, higher educational achievements, healthier children and greater economic power as well influence in their households and communities.

Family planning according to United Nations Population Fund is one of the most cost-effective ways of improving health and the lack of it can be a significant barrier to a better life.

Continued: https://awoko.org/2018/06/29/sierra-leone-news-family-planning-key-to-development-mssl/

Unsafe abortions cause high maternal death rate in Sierra Leone

Unsafe abortions cause high maternal death rate in Sierra Leone

Jan 6, 2017
Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality and unsafe abortions account for 10 percent of those deaths, says a report by the country's health ministry and a non-profit organisation IPAS.

Women in Sierra Leone are dying from unsafe abortion methods as President Ernest Bai Koroma refused to sign a law legalising abortion in the West African country.

Sierra Leone's parliament has twice passed a bill that would allow women to terminate a pregnancy up to 12 weeks.

But the bill has failed to become a law and it's been held up by religious groups who oppose it.

Continued at source: https://www.trtworld.com/mea/unsafe-abortions-cause-high-maternal-death-rate-in-sierra-leone-13951

Sierra Leone News: Safe Abortion Act stranded between Parliament and State House

Sierra Leone News: Safe Abortion Act stranded between Parliament and State House

July 25, 2017

The “Safe Abortion Act, 2015, has stalled somewhere between Parliament and State House. The Act will change the 150-year old colonial “1861 Abortion Law” to allow women and girls to terminate a pregnancy in any circumstances up to 12 weeks. The Bill would also allow abortion in cases of incest, rape and foetal impairment up to 24 weeks.

In Sierra Leone, the country with the world’s worst maternal mortality, abortion is illegal in nearly all circumstances and unsafe abortion is estimated to account for 10% of maternal deaths. The World Health Organization estimates that Sierra Leone has the world’s highest maternal mortality ratio at 1,360 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2016.

Thousands of adolescent girls become pregnant in Sierra Leone every year and account for almost 50% of all births.

Continued at source: Awoko: http://awoko.org/2017/07/26/sierra-leone-news-safe-abortion-act-stranded-between-parliament-and-state-house/