Tag: Abortion

As International Safe Abortion Day Draws Closer, Its Time To Reflect on progress towards access to safe abortion for women and girls

Healthtimes

The 28th of September is International Safe Abortion Day, and it has two themes: “Diverse Actions, Different Places, One Demand: Access to Safe and Legal Abortion Now” and “Abortion in Uncertain Times.” By Edinah Masiyiwa These themes speak to me as an advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and they give me energy to continue working on safe abortion access. They communicate that firstly, we will achieve access to safe abortion through working in our different spaces from research, to advocacy, to awareness raising at community and policy…

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Abortion policy and the vicious cycle of poverty

Healthtimes

By Memory Pamella Kadau The previous instalment submitted that abortion doesn’t bring about a moral dilemma as middle ground propagation would argue. It’s clear that safe abortion services should be made accessible to women and this demands policy and legal reforms. This article explored how existing policy framework on abortion perpetuates the vicious cycle of poverty on women and fuels child sexual abuse termed ‘child marriages’. Abortion and poverty Poverty wears the face of a woman and the untold story is that hundreds of thousands of women are trapped in…

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Comprehensive Post Abortion Care is an Essential Component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Critical for the Attainment of Health Related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Healthtimes

In my years of experience working in sexual reproductive health (SRH), the most topical debates include the topics of unintended pregnancies, teenage pregnancies, sexual gender based violence (SGBV), and abortion among others. Termination of Pregnancy (abortion) is one of the most controversial and emotive issues across the social realm in a conservative society like Zimbabwe. The main thrust of social-cultural discussions in sexual reproductive health is around prevention of unintended pregnancies thus avoiding the topic of abortion completely. However, the dilemma is when prevention fails, what happens next? The Zimbabwe…

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The Politics of The Uterus

Healthtimes

The Lack of Adequate Information and Awareness on Safe Abortion Services among Young Women and Girls is Promoting Continuous Clandestine Abortions By Mufaro Musiyazviriyo The term abortion, generally makes people uncomfortable! In my work as a Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Program Officer, often times, I conduct awareness raising trainings and focus group discussions on SRHR issues with young women and girls in tertiary institutions and communities, where incidents of unsafe abortions have been reported. I have made it a habit to begin my introductions by mentioning the term…

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Abortion and the moral dilemma; the contradictions of policy and practice

Healthtimes

Moral dilemmas are situations in which an individual is faced by two conflicting ethical decisions, none of which overrides the other. Middle ground anti-abortionists reasoning often cite the moral dilemma as the reason why a definitive position on abortion cannot be reached. This article will look at the middle ground challenge of the moral dilemma as it relates to abortion in the context of Zimbabwe. By Memory Pamella Kadau Abortion in perspective An abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy, which can happen spontaneously, as in the case of…

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WHO issues new guidelines on abortion to help countries deliver lifesaving care

Healthtimes

Access to safe abortion critical for health of women and girls: WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing new guidelines on abortion care today, in a bid to protect the health of women and girls and help prevent over 25 million unsafe abortions that currently occur each year. “Being able to obtain safe abortion is a crucial part of health care,” said Craig Lissner, acting Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO. “Nearly every death and injury that results from unsafe abortion is entirely preventable. That’s…

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Lockdown Sees Spike In Unsafe Abortions In Guruve

Michael Gwarisa

RECURRING COVID-19 lockdown measures and a prolonged period outside learning institutions has resulted in increased Early Unintended Pregnancies (EUPs) in young adolescent girls, leading to a record spike in unsafe abortions amongst the 12- to 24-year-old age groups in Guruve, Mashonaland Central. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Guruve In Zimbabwe, abortion or termination of pregnancy is only permissible if the pregnancy poses a risk or threat to the life and health of the mother and child and also if the pregnancy is as a result of rape or incest. However,…

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Access To Safe Abortion Care Is A Health Need

Healthtimes

Recently, two bodies of newly born babies were found in a bin in Harare.[1] Due to a lack of accessible contraceptives during COVID-19, 5000 girls were reported to have fallen pregnant in January alone,[2] and sadly, the abandonment of unwanted babies is one of the outcomes. Unsafe abortions are another. The reality is, this could just be a tip of the iceberg of what is happening to women and girls as a result of their inability to access contraceptives. By Edinah Masiyiwa As the COVID-19 epidemic rages on, the health…

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Open Up Space For Adolescents To Access SRHR Services

Healthtimes

RECENTLY, I was saddened to read that a dead infant was found during a burst sewer pipe at a primary school in Bulawayo. I imagined the state of hopelessness the parent must have felt to resort to infanticide. And I felt angry about the lack of prioritization of women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), especially during this time of COVID-19 lockdowns, that may have contributed to this horrific outcome. By Edinah Masiyiwa The insufficient attention to women’s and girls’ needs and disruptions in health systems during…

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Zim’s Termination Of Pregnancy Act Anti Women- Women CSOs

Healthtimes

ZIMBABWE’S Termination of Pregnancy ACT is not only archaic but takes away women’s body autonomy and power to make decisions about their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), women led Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have said. By Patricia Mashiri According CSOs, the country’s Termination of Pregnancy ACT is not inclusive but dictates circumstances and conditions under which the pregnancy of a woman may be terminated. Ms Ednah Masiyiwa, Executive Director Women Action Group said the Termination of pregnancy Act is non-operational and does not meet the needs of the…

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