May 12, 2025
by Bassey Anthony
Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has urged the Akwa Ibom state government to implement the safe abortion law to reduce maternal morbidities and mortalities.
The nongovernmental organization said that the National Health Demographic Survey report (2018) places Akwa Ibom as the state with the highest number of maternal mortality of 420 deaths/100,000 live births.
By Mercy Kahenda
May 12, 2025
Human rights defenders have petitioned Parliament to allocate more funds for maternal and reproductive health services in a bid to curb unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and related deaths.
Their call follows findings from a recent study indicating that at least 972,694 induced abortions were reported in 2023.
Additionally, the report shows that 355 women die annually for every 10,000 live births due to pregnancy-related complications, many of which are linked to unintended pregnancies.
Sunday 11 May 2025
The Trump administration continues to withdraw funding to American and international organisations that pursue policies on sexuality, diversity, and minority rights that contradict its isolationist and conservative agenda.
Since February, the US has cut $377 million worth of funding to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN reproductive and sexual health agency. On Thursday, the US announced that it intended to deny future funding to UNFPA by triggering the so-called Kemp-Kasten Amendment from 1985.
May 11, 2025
Kasaragod: A 16-year-old tribal girl, four-and-a-half months pregnant, died of excessive bleeding while her parents were forced to rush her from one hospital to another.
Kasaragod's Vellarikundu police, which registered an unnatural death case, said the Class XI student's pregnancy was linked to her 16-year-old classmate and distant relative from the same Mavilan Scheduled Tribe community. The two families knew of their affair, and their relationship often triggered arguments between them, Vellarikundu Station House Officer - Inspector Mukundan T K said.
Carolyne Okallo, Youth and Communications Advisor, Ipas Africa Alliance
May 9, 2025
A recently released national report details a study highlighting gaps in Kenya’s sexual and reproductive health services—and gives compelling evidence that expanding access to modern and effective family planning and contraception is crucial to preventing unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortion methods.
Ipas Africa Alliance was part of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) that provided support for the study, “Incidence of Induced Abortions and the Severity of Abortion-related Complications in Kenya”. The joint study conducted by the Ministry of Health, the African Population and Health Research Center and Guttmacher Institute outlines the systemic changes needed to improve women’s reproductive health in Kenya.
Sade Oguntola
May 8, 2025
Comprehensive abortion care, which includes safe abortion care and post-abortive care, is an essential part of s3xual and reproductive health and a human right, but services should be offered within the ambience of the law.
Dr Adekunle Obilade, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital, made this assertion in the April Continuing Medical Education series of the Nigerian Medical Association, Oyo State Branch entitled “The Health Sector, Laws, Guidelines and Policies Relating to Safe Abortion Care in Oyo State.
Wednesday, May 07, 2025
Women and girls who become pregnant from rape or defilement are avoiding healthcare facilities, instead risking their lives through unregulated procedures due to fear of prosecution and unclear abortion legislation, according to the Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance.
"The perception that abortion remains universally illegal drives vulnerable survivors underground, where they face life-threatening complications, including haemorrhage, infection, and permanent injury. Constitutional ambiguity has also created a healthcare crisis," explains Annet Nerima, programme manager at the Kenya Human Rights Commission.
Continued: https://nation.africa/kenya/health/why-cases-of-unsafe-abortion-are-rising-5031386
On 1 July 2025, USAID is officially to be dismantled. Since President Donald Trump froze the funds of the US development agency at the beginning of the year, we have been receiving messages from various parts of the world. The senders want to describe the situation in their countries, discuss the way forward – or simply express their shock. We want to offer the various voices a platform to summarise their thoughts in short statements. This is the second of two parts of their statements.
by D+C / E+Z
May 7, 2025
The end of USAID has had a profound impact on the reproductive health of women in Africa and Asia. In total, MSI Reproductive Choices has lost $ 14 million in funding because it refused to comply with the rules and regulations of the Trump administration. This funding must now be replaced by other funds, as must a further $ 6 million for services previously provided by UN organisations, state health systems and other organisations. One of the countries most affected by the cuts is Zimbabwe, where a combined $ 6.5 million in USAID funding has been cancelled. Only by filling these service gaps in a timely manner can a significant increase in unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and pregnancy-related deaths be avoided.
Across Africa, where I lead MSI’s work expanding access to lifesaving sexual and reproductive healthcare, the USAID cuts led by the world’s richest man are devastating for women living in the poorest communities of the continent. Denied this lifeline, women will no longer be able to safely space their pregnancies, pushing them further into the cycle of poverty, while those in the most desperate circumstances will be left with no option but to risk their lives by resorting to unsafe abortion.
May 7, 2025
By Jeremick Joe
In 2023, Kenya saw approximately 792,694 induced abortions a sharp increase from 464,690 recorded in 2012. But these numbers tell only part of the story. Behind them is a tragic reality: many of these abortions were carried out in unsafe conditions, with young women resorting to harmful, sometimes fatal, methods due to a lack of access to safe services. According to data, one in ten women who had an abortion in Kenya used dangerous techniques such as ingesting toxic substances or inserting sharp objects desperate actions driven not by carelessness, but by a lack of knowledge and resources
The Legal Gap: Access to Abortion Isn’t Enough Without Access to Care
Kenya’s Constitution (Article 26) permits abortion in cases where the mother’s life or health is at risk, or in cases of rape. However, this legal provision is often clouded by confusion and fear. Many women, particularly young women, are unaware of their legal rights or unable to access safe abortion services due to societal stigma, misinformation, and cultural taboos.
Continued: https://ghettoradio.co.ke/kenyas-unsafe-abortion-crisis-is-fueled-by-silence-not-recklessness/
The Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance
6 May 2025
A recent study by the Ministry of Health, the African Population and Health Research Centre, and the Guttmacher Institute has shown that an estimated 792,694 induced abortions occurred in Kenya in 2023[1].
The study also revealed that more than half of all women with post-abortion complications received treatment in public health facilities.
However, the capacity of health facilities to provide basic and comprehensive post-abortion care was low, with only 18.3 per cent of primary health facilities offering all the elements of basic post-termination care and 24.1 per cent of referral-level facilities providing the full package of comprehensive post-abortion care.
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