Kenya – Kiambu Tragedy Exposes the Deadly Reality of Underground Abortions

A 35-year-old woman has been found dead alongside a foetus in Kiambu, sparking a police investigation. The implications for public health are staggering.

Jun 1, 2026

Detectives in Kiambu East Subcounty have launched a homicide investigation after a 35-year-old woman was discovered dead in her home alongside a foetus, an incident that has cast a grim spotlight on the region’s underground reproductive health crisis. The discovery was made on the morning of May 30 after a concerned tenant noticed an unlocked door and alerted the landlord. Officers responding to the scene found the deceased in a pool of blood, with the foetus still attached to the placenta, pointing to a suspected botched abortion.

The circumstances surrounding the tragic demise remain under intense police scrutiny, but the gruesome scene has reignited national debates regarding maternal mortality and the desperate measures women undertake in the absence of accessible reproductive healthcare. The body has since been transferred to the Kiambu Level 5 Hospital Mortuary, where government pathologists are scheduled to conduct a post-mortem examination. Authorities maintain that the autopsy will provide conclusive evidence on the exact cause of death and assist in identifying any unregulated medical practitioners who may have facilitated the procedure.

Continued: https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/news/kiambu-tragedy-exposes-the-deadly-reality-of-underground-abortions

01.06.2026

Commentary

Kiambu unsafe abortion

When Silence Becomes Dangerous: The Debate Over Maternal Health And Lagos’ STOP Guidelines

by Chioma Umeha
May 29, 2026

The conversation around reproductive healthcare in Nigeria rarely remains calm for long. In Lagos State, the ongoing suspension of the Safe Termination of Pregnancy (STOP) guideline underscores the deep controversy and critical need surrounding safe abortion access. Worldwide, voices are increasingly advocating for decriminalisation to prevent unsafe practices and save lives. One of the recurring questions is: what happens to women whose pregnancies place their lives in danger when the healthcare system itself becomes uncertain about how to respond?

That question has resurfaced following renewed public debate over the suspension of Lagos State’s Safe Termination of Pregnancy (STOP) Guidelines. Introduced to provide medical practitioners with clarity on managing complicated pregnancies within the boundaries of Nigerian law, the guidelines were suspended in 2022 amid controversy and public backlash. Since then, healthcare advocates, medical professionals and reproductive health organisations have continued to express concern that the suspension may have created more confusion than protection.

Continued: https://independent.ng/when-silence-becomes-dangerous-the-debate-over-maternal-health-and-lagos-stop-guidelines/

A draft African charter on ‘family values’ is on the cards: why it’s flawed and dangerous

May 21, 2026
Catriona Macleod, Godfrey Kangaude, Nicola Jearey-Graham

A series of conferences held in Entebbe, Uganda, between 2023 and 2025 have resulted in a draft African Charter on Family, Sovereignty and Values. The meetings were organised by the Inter-parliamentary Network on African Sovereignty and Values, which organises continental conferences for African legislators and faith-based advocates. Supported by international conservative groups like Family Watch International and heavily promoted by Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, the aim of the drafters of the charter is to convince African governments to sign on to it.

The draft charter is situated within the current global movement to the right, which prioritises nationalism, tougher immigration policies and an erosion of social values like gender equity. Framed as an effort to “protect” the family, it urges governments to adopt a series of regressive measures.

Continued: https://theconversation.com/a-draft-african-charter-on-family-values-is-on-the-cards-why-its-flawed-and-dangerous-282423

Nigeria – Oyo PHC Board Begins Adaptation Of National Safe Pregnancy Termination Guidelines

by Kazeem Awojoodu
May 17, 2026

In its efforts to strengthen reproductive health services and improve maternal health outcomes across the state, the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board has commenced the adaptation of the National Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy (STOP).

Speaking at a two-day adaptation process for the STOP guidelines held at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, the Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Muideen Olatunji, reaffirmed the commitment of the Oyo State Government to reducing maternal morbidity and mortality through evidence-based policies, improved access to quality healthcare services, and enhanced capacity building for healthcare providers at all levels of care.

Continued: https://independent.ng/oyo-phc-board-begins-adaptation-of-national-safe-pregnancy-termination-guidelines/

18.05.2026

News

Dr. Moriam Olaide Jagun

Dr. Muideen Olatunji

maternal morbidity

maternal mortality

Oyo State Primary Health Care Board

safe abortion guidelines

California is now the front line of America’s maternal mortality crisis

By Sylvia Ghazarian
April 19, 2026

California has become a refuge for reproductive care, but it’s now absorbing the consequences of a national public health failure. The United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income countries, and it’s only getting worse.

A growing body of research shows that abortion bans are driving this crisis, increasing preventable deaths, especially among communities already burdened by systemic inequities. The Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP), a national abortion fund headquartered in Los Angeles, is witnessing this surge firsthand, as more patients cross state lines and require financial support to access even the most basic, time-sensitive care.

Continued: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2026-04-19/california-maternal-mortality-crisis

19.04.2026

Commentary

black maternal mortality

Gender Equity Policy Institute

maternal mortality

Sylvia Ghazarian

Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project

Abortion: the possibilities of progress

Editorial, The Lancet
Volume 407, Issue 10538, P1483, April 18, 2026

Women's bodily autonomy and health, particularly with regard to abortion, are under attack. The politicisation of women's bodies and choices is part of a wider attempt to roll back human rights and freedoms of women and marginalised groups. Political parties with regressive ideologies, rising across the world, are finding common cause with anti-gender religious groups. Transnational anti-gender movements have become professionalised and influence national and international agendas. Overseas aid has become a bargaining chip for abortion and gender rights, with dire consequences to sexual and reproductive health. Access to reproductive health information is being restricted by tech corporations, while misinformation is left to proliferate. These trends might prompt despair, but they should not obfuscate the incredible longer-term gains in abortion rights and connected health improvements of the past 60 years, nor the possibility of further ensuring legal, free, and safe abortion for all.

Continued: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00753-1/fulltext

18.04.2026

LIBERIA – Tightens Controls on Abortion Drug — But Women’s Groups Warn Against Blocking Access to Care

By Joyclyn Wea
April 14, 2026

Liberian women’s health advocates have cautiously welcomed a government announcement that it is going to more closely regulate Misoprostol, a drug widely used to cause a medical abortion or to provide care for women facing life-threatening conditions during and after pregnancy. But they warn that the regulation must not limit access to women trying to access safe health care options.

Last week, the Ministry of Health announced that misoprostol should be sold only with a valid prescription and dispensed under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist or another authorized health worker. The ministry also says it would increase inspections, check supply chains, verify prescribers, and investigate illegal sales.

Continued: https://frontpageafricaonline.com/health/liberia-tightens-controls-on-abortion-drug-but-womens-groups-warn-against-blocking-access-to-care/

14.04.2026

Dr. Su Mon Thaw

Esther Eyeah David Yango

maternal mortality

misoprostol

Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia

A Public Health Emergency: How Abortion Bans Are Fueling Maternal Deaths in America

People living in states that have banned abortion are nearly twice as likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or soon after compared with those in states where abortion remains legal and accessible.

Sylvia Ghazarian, Common Dreams
Apr 10, 2026

The maternal mortality crisis in the United States is a national embarrassment, and it’s unfolding in real time. The US continues to have one of the highest maternal death rates among high-income countries, and the situation is getting worse, not better. Behind this trend is a growing body of research showing that state abortion bans directly contribute to increased maternal mortality, especially in communities already burdened by systemic inequities.

Continued: https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/abortion-bans-public-health

There is little prospect of legalising abortion in Brazil

Other large countries in Latin America have either legalised or decriminalized

Apr 9th 2026

On a Sunday afternoon last year, Gloria (not her real name) got a knock on the door. It was a former neighbour who said he was passing through her remote Amazon village and wanted to catch up. He proceeded to drug and rape her. She did not go to the police because “they don’t investigate rape”. After discovering she was pregnant she took the morning-after pill, but it was too late. She bought misoprostol, an abortion drug, on the “dark web”, but was scammed. Eventually she found a charity that paid for a bus ticket to the nearest hospital providing abortions, 2,500km away. “It hurt, but I felt good,” she says. “If someone from where I live finds out, my God, it would be like having a sign on my face that says ‘prostitute’.”

In the past five years most big countries in Latin America have moved towards legalising abortion. Argentina led the way in 2021, allowing abortion until the 14th week of pregnancy. In 2022 Colombia followed suit. Mexico decriminalised abortion in 2023. Brazil is now a regional outlier. Abortion is permitted in theory if the mother’s life is at risk, if the pregnancy was the result of rape, or if the foetus has anencephaly, a fatal deformity.

Continued: https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2026/04/09/there-is-little-prospect-of-legalising-abortion-in-brazil

UN Warns Pregnant Women’s Health at Risk in Afghanistan

By Fidel Rahmati
April 7, 2026

Pregnant women in Afghanistan must have uninterrupted access to health services, the U.N. Population Fund said on Monday, warning that maternal care is a life-saving necessity in a country with one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. The agency’s message came as concerns mounted over new restrictions affecting women’s access to reproductive and maternity care.

UNFPA said access to maternal health care is “non-negotiable,” stressing that Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be pregnant. According to UNFPA’s Afghanistan profile, the country records about 620 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, and a woman dies from preventable pregnancy-related complications roughly every two hours.

Continued: https://www.khaama.com/un-warns-pregnant-womens-health-at-risk-in-afghanistan/

07.04.2026