African Governments have been urged to give priority to addressing the reproductive health issues of women to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially Goal five, which talks about “Improve Maternal Health”.
In addition, they should honour their commitments as stipulated in the Maputo Plan Protocol on the Rights of Women 2003, with special emphasis on increased access to safe abortion to sustain the life of every African woman.
The call was contained in a declaration issued at the end of the four-day conference of African Health Experts and Women’s Health Advocates on “Keeping Our Promise: Unsafe Abortion in Africa”.
Mrs Fannie Kachale, Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Unit, Ministry of Health, Malawi, who read the declaration, said African Governments should work to build a sustainable supply of medical technologies for contraception and safe abortion care.
“Women and girls are dying everyday in Africa through unsafe abortion and we have the knowledge, the will and the technologies to prevent these senseless deaths,” she added.
Governments, the declaration said, should initiate review of laws criminalizing abortion, in line with specific commitments under international and regional agreements, including specific and increased funding for reproductive health and measures to address unsafe abortion in national and health system budgets.
The delegates called on multilateral donor agencies as well as international technical support agencies to direct more resources to prevent unsafe abortion and make safe legal abortion available.
They should also provide policy and technical support for expanding women’s access to safe abortion care.
The delegates reaffirmed their commitment to providing leadership and accelerate action to expand African women’s access to safe abortion care and end needless deaths and injuries from unsafe abortion.
Mrs Juliana Azumah Mensah, Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, addressing the closing session, called on governments to fulfill their political will expressed in addressing the health needs of women.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
BREAK THE SILENCE ON UNSAFE ABORTION – PRESIDENT MILLS
By James Addy
President J. E. Mills, has urged African governments to join the crusade to break the culture of silence on unsafe abortions on the continent.
He made this appeal in an address read for him at a three-day international conference on unsafe abortion in Africa held in Accra this week.
In a speech read on his behalf by Mr Robert-Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, the Deputy Minister of Health, President Mills said, “I happily join the crusade in keeping the promise. It is time to break the culture of silence on unsafe abortions in Africa women have a choice. They need to know their rights.”
“Keeping our promise: Addressing unsafe abortion in Africa” and sponsored by Women’s Health International Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) Ipas in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Health, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Women’s Development and Communication Network the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa and Marie Slopes International.
It was attended by about 250 participants including health care providers’ advocates, parliamentarians, women groups who shared best practices and also lessons learned in the course of their activities.
Dr Thokozile Ruzvidzo, Director, African Centre for Gender and Social Development, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, in a keynote address said the Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved without a specific focus on eliminating unsafe abortion from the continent. She said “maternal mortality and morbidity not only affects women, it affects their families, our communities and our countries.”
Dr Ruzvidzo said nonetheless the causes of maternal complications and deaths, including unsafe abortion, are preventable only if gender concerns are put at the front of the line.
She said combating discrimination against women and girls is therefore critical to eliminate preventable maternal morbidity and mortality.
Dr Ruzvidzo said unsafe abortion is frequently the only recourse young, poor, uneducated and rural women have to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
“They take place in situations characterized by inadequate provider skills, the use of hazardous techniques and in unsanitary facilities, and endanger the lives of thousands of African women”, she said.
Dr Ruzvidzo said 67,000 women die annually globally as a result of complications of unsafe abortion.
Additionally between two million and seven million women each year survive unsafe abortions but sustain long-term damage or disease.
Dr Ruzvidzo said more than half of the deaths from unsafe abortion an estimated 35,000 occur in Africa, adding that the WHO estimates that in Africa, one in seven maternal deaths result from unsafe abortion.
Dr Ruzvidzo observed:” that so many women resort to unsafe abortion reveals how women on our continent do not enjoy the basic freedoms and rights to which all human beings are entitled, thus limiting their full potential for development.”
Dr Ruzvidzo said each year an estimated 14 million women in Africa experience unintended pregnancy which reflects the persistent, unacceptably high unmet need for contraception.
“As many as a quarter of all African women who want to practice family planning lack information or effective contraceptive methods they need to do so,” she said.
Dr Ruzvidzo said although there had been progress in addressing that gap in recent years and decades, more in some countries than others, the unmet need for contraception remains a gross in justice for women in the region.
Dr Elizabeth Maguire, the president of Ipas said an integrated approach to contraception and safe abortion is critical to solving the global public health crisis caused by unwanted pregnancies.
She called on African governments to strengthen and expand efforts in both public and private sectors to end unwanted pregnancy to enable women to exercise fully their sexual and reproduction
President J. E. Mills, has urged African governments to join the crusade to break the culture of silence on unsafe abortions on the continent.
He made this appeal in an address read for him at a three-day international conference on unsafe abortion in Africa held in Accra this week.
In a speech read on his behalf by Mr Robert-Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, the Deputy Minister of Health, President Mills said, “I happily join the crusade in keeping the promise. It is time to break the culture of silence on unsafe abortions in Africa women have a choice. They need to know their rights.”
“Keeping our promise: Addressing unsafe abortion in Africa” and sponsored by Women’s Health International Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) Ipas in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Health, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Women’s Development and Communication Network the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa and Marie Slopes International.
It was attended by about 250 participants including health care providers’ advocates, parliamentarians, women groups who shared best practices and also lessons learned in the course of their activities.
Dr Thokozile Ruzvidzo, Director, African Centre for Gender and Social Development, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, in a keynote address said the Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved without a specific focus on eliminating unsafe abortion from the continent. She said “maternal mortality and morbidity not only affects women, it affects their families, our communities and our countries.”
Dr Ruzvidzo said nonetheless the causes of maternal complications and deaths, including unsafe abortion, are preventable only if gender concerns are put at the front of the line.
She said combating discrimination against women and girls is therefore critical to eliminate preventable maternal morbidity and mortality.
Dr Ruzvidzo said unsafe abortion is frequently the only recourse young, poor, uneducated and rural women have to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
“They take place in situations characterized by inadequate provider skills, the use of hazardous techniques and in unsanitary facilities, and endanger the lives of thousands of African women”, she said.
Dr Ruzvidzo said 67,000 women die annually globally as a result of complications of unsafe abortion.
Additionally between two million and seven million women each year survive unsafe abortions but sustain long-term damage or disease.
Dr Ruzvidzo said more than half of the deaths from unsafe abortion an estimated 35,000 occur in Africa, adding that the WHO estimates that in Africa, one in seven maternal deaths result from unsafe abortion.
Dr Ruzvidzo observed:” that so many women resort to unsafe abortion reveals how women on our continent do not enjoy the basic freedoms and rights to which all human beings are entitled, thus limiting their full potential for development.”
Dr Ruzvidzo said each year an estimated 14 million women in Africa experience unintended pregnancy which reflects the persistent, unacceptably high unmet need for contraception.
“As many as a quarter of all African women who want to practice family planning lack information or effective contraceptive methods they need to do so,” she said.
Dr Ruzvidzo said although there had been progress in addressing that gap in recent years and decades, more in some countries than others, the unmet need for contraception remains a gross in justice for women in the region.
Dr Elizabeth Maguire, the president of Ipas said an integrated approach to contraception and safe abortion is critical to solving the global public health crisis caused by unwanted pregnancies.
She called on African governments to strengthen and expand efforts in both public and private sectors to end unwanted pregnancy to enable women to exercise fully their sexual and reproduction
YOUTH SHARING EXPERIENCES
By Wendy Asiama
Unsafe abortion has become a major public health concern for some governments, civil society groups, among some parents, and the youth generally in Africa.
Draconian laws that seek to criminalize illegal abortion and restrictive policies on the statute books in the majority of African countries provide fertile grounds for young people (girls and young women to procure abortion when faced with unwanted pregnancy.
Notwithstanding these restrictive laws, young women faced with the dilemma of unwanted pregnancy will often go all lengths to procure abortion regardless of whether the procedure is safe or not.
These sentiments were expressed at an international conference on unsafe abortion whose theme is ‘’KEEPING OUR PROMISE: addressing unsafe abortion in Africa “, held in Ghana.
Conference participants attributed abortion deaths, which go to swell maternal deaths in Africa, to the use of unorthodox procedures which result in complications leading to death of their victims.
Sharing their experiences and their dreams for the future, Blain Rezene from Ipas Ethiopia stated that since 2008, Ipas has established three youth centers at universities in the country that provide information to the youth on how they can access contraceptives, condoms and abortion services when confronted with unwanted pregnancy.
‘’We provide education counseling services and general information on their reproductive health needs’’.
Thomas Munjovo from South Africa adds that due to interventions put in by the South African government and in collaboration with civil society groups on issues of unsafe abortion, maternal deaths have been reduced by 91% since 2008.
‘’Because South Africa has very liberal laws on abortion, young women faced with challenges of unwanted pregnancies and needing abortion services , get the needed information at the right time and are told where they can access health care services including abortion. ‘’Thomas stated ‘’.
Maxwell Ogwal, a medical student from Uganda told forum participants that abortion is still illegal in Uganda. ‘’Government lacks the political will to change the laws on abortion irrespective of the uncountable lives that are lost through illegal abortion in Uganda’’. In summary the youth urged their governments to act now to bring abortion to the forefront of Africa’s women’s health agenda.
‘’Keeping our promise ‘’therefore is a call for action from mothers who loose their female children to unsafe abortion, from girls and young women in Africa who are the victims and on their governments to act to effect change in their lives.
Unsafe abortion has become a major public health concern for some governments, civil society groups, among some parents, and the youth generally in Africa.
Draconian laws that seek to criminalize illegal abortion and restrictive policies on the statute books in the majority of African countries provide fertile grounds for young people (girls and young women to procure abortion when faced with unwanted pregnancy.
Notwithstanding these restrictive laws, young women faced with the dilemma of unwanted pregnancy will often go all lengths to procure abortion regardless of whether the procedure is safe or not.
These sentiments were expressed at an international conference on unsafe abortion whose theme is ‘’KEEPING OUR PROMISE: addressing unsafe abortion in Africa “, held in Ghana.
Conference participants attributed abortion deaths, which go to swell maternal deaths in Africa, to the use of unorthodox procedures which result in complications leading to death of their victims.
Sharing their experiences and their dreams for the future, Blain Rezene from Ipas Ethiopia stated that since 2008, Ipas has established three youth centers at universities in the country that provide information to the youth on how they can access contraceptives, condoms and abortion services when confronted with unwanted pregnancy.
‘’We provide education counseling services and general information on their reproductive health needs’’.
Thomas Munjovo from South Africa adds that due to interventions put in by the South African government and in collaboration with civil society groups on issues of unsafe abortion, maternal deaths have been reduced by 91% since 2008.
‘’Because South Africa has very liberal laws on abortion, young women faced with challenges of unwanted pregnancies and needing abortion services , get the needed information at the right time and are told where they can access health care services including abortion. ‘’Thomas stated ‘’.
Maxwell Ogwal, a medical student from Uganda told forum participants that abortion is still illegal in Uganda. ‘’Government lacks the political will to change the laws on abortion irrespective of the uncountable lives that are lost through illegal abortion in Uganda’’. In summary the youth urged their governments to act now to bring abortion to the forefront of Africa’s women’s health agenda.
‘’Keeping our promise ‘’therefore is a call for action from mothers who loose their female children to unsafe abortion, from girls and young women in Africa who are the victims and on their governments to act to effect change in their lives.
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