abortion

In 2018 a 20 year old secondary school student who was on midterm died while procuring an abortion at a private clinic in Sagana, Kirinyaga County.

The lady had been referred to the Sagana doctor from Murang’a after developing complications from a failed abortion-that had been done in Murang’a.

The student had been accompanied by her mother for the service.

When the mother saw her daughter pass on, she fled to unknown destination and switched off her phone.

There have been so many unsafe abortions being done in private clinics that are never reported, but get lime light when death occurs, at least two cases have been reported at the public health facilities across the county.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines unsafe abortion as a procedure for terminating pregnancy, carried out either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both.

According to doctor Francis Kimani, Director medical Services in the ministry of health, Although unsafe abortion in Kenya has long been recognized as a leading cause of deaths and injuries to women - deaths and injuries that are preventable - there is limited scientific information available on the women who seek unsafe abortion, the magnitude of the problem of unsafe abortion in our society and the severity of complications that arise from unsafe abortion. A survey conducted by the African Population and Health Research Center in collaboration with the Ministry of Health addresses not only the numbers of unsafe abortions occurring annually in Kenya, but also the extent of unsafe abortion, the characteristics of women who seek abortion-related care in Kenyan health facilities. 

A John Kamau,medic at the Kerugoya hospital said that majority of such cases are from students who prefer procuring an abortion so as to continue with their education.

The medic stated, despite counselling and telling them on the dangers of abortion, they go ahead and if the medic becomes unfriendly, they walk out to seek services from private hospitals.

At the Kerugoya health Center, per the medic, there have been isolated cases brought after a failed back street abortion for fear of being arrested upon survival.

“We have received very isolated cases on abortion, majority of such cases are from students who want to join either college or university, when we do not cooperate, they walk out to seek the same services at the private facility” said the medic.

The recently promulgated 2010 constitution of Kenya permits abortion when the life or health of the woman is in danger.

The church on its part Mt. Kenya Yes pastors forum chair Daniel Njagi said that abortion is killing, that is prohibited by the bible.

He says that “The church does not support abortion, it is killing”.

Surgical abortion according to Njagi says it is allowed since it is a way of saving the mother from dying due to pregnancy related complication.

“Pregnancies such Ectopic or when the life of a mother is in danger, the church supports and allows such” the Yes forum chair added.

On those that separate and the lady decides to abort, Njagi added that rejection should not be a route cause for killing, suggesting that the lady should give birth and raise the child.

He also urged parents not to be at the Center of their children’s relationship, saying the kind of damage that happens is irreparable.

“We have parents who are so much involved in their children’s life even relationships, most separation between two lovers is attributed to family influence, if in such a case the lady was expectant, then after separation, she will have an abortion-an act that was not planned” Njagi added.

Data from Kenya Data and Health Survey (2014) show that 1 in every 5 girls between 15-19 years is either pregnant or already a mother. As of 2019 latest statistics from the Global Childhood Kenya has the third-highest teen pregnancy rates with 82 births per 1,000 births. According to the United Nations Population Fund Report, Kenya has recorded 378, 397 adolescent and teenage pregnancies for girls aged 10-19 years between July 2016 and June 2017, specifically, 28, 932 girls aged 10-14 and 349,465 girls aged 15-19 became pregnant.

Concurrently, over 13,000 teenage girls drop out of school annually because of pregnancy. (Kenya Data and Health Survey, 2014). Recent media reports show that 449 girls are failing to sit for their final examinations while others write examinations in maternity wards. This is a red flag on the girls’ education, health and opportunities not to mention a failure on the society as whole. The case of Narok County is an eye-opener with 40% of the teenagers being pregnant compared to Garissa, Wajir and Lamu at 10%.

In 2012, an estimated 464,000 induced abortions occurred in Kenya. This translates into an abortion rate of 48 per 1,000 women aged 15–49, and an abortion ratio of 30 per 100 live births. About 120,000 women received care for complications of induced abortion in health facilities. About half (49 %) of all pregnancies in Kenya were unintended and 41 % of unintended pregnancies ended in an abortion.

The risks of unsafe abortion run along a continuum ranging from severe morbidity (hemorrhage, sepsis, organ failure) to no complications. While abortion is getting safer worldwide, evidence indicates a higher rate of hospitalization due to unsafe abortion complications for the Eastern Africa region (10 per 1000 women aged 15–44 years) than for sub-Saharan Africa overall (7.5 per 1000 women aged 15–44 years). Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of hospitalization due to unsafe abortion worldwide.

Unlike developed countries where abortion is legalized, In Kenya a developing country,abortion is not recognized,but still happen in backstreet clinics-the government needs to put measures how to find a way to have it legalized to avert more deaths in back street clinics..

Ends….