Opponents of abortion tend to ignore the failures that lead women to the point where they seek one in the first place.
Opposition to abortion is so intense that even where women have the legal right to terminate their pregnancy, it can be extremely difficult to get the services needed to exercise that right. But, worse than that, opponents of abortion tend to ignore the failures that lead women to the point where they seek one in the first place.
If we want to reduce demand for abortion services, we must recognise that it is often the culmination of a series of systemic failures that begin during childhood, when a comprehensive sexual education should be required. Such an education is not a privilege, but a right. In Kenya, article 35 of the Constitution guarantees every citizen “the right of access to information held by another person and required for the exercise or protection of any right or fundamental freedom”. This includes the right to reproductive healthcare, enshrined in article 43.
This, funding shortages and cultural factors , contribute to a low contraceptive uptake, with only 58% of women in Kenya who should be using modern contraceptives actually doing so.It is time to address the systemic failures that lead to girls and women ending up maimed or dead. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: contraception in health budgets, quality comprehensive sexual education in schools and youth-friendly reproductive health services.
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