In Uganda, strict abortion laws and conservative beliefs are putting the lives of many women and young girls with unplanned pregnancies in grave danger. While the Ugandan constitution permits abortions only to save the mother’s life, the law remains shrouded in ambiguity. A colonial-era penal code further compounds the issue, threatening women who seek abortions with up to seven years in prison and sentencing doctors who perform them to 12 years behind bars. Fearful of legal consequences, many healthcare professionals are forced to turn away women in need of help.
Effects of the Uganda Abortion laws
With limited access to safe procedures and insufficient sex education, many women turn to unsafe methods to terminate pregnancies, resorting to dangerous practices such as ingesting herb concoctions and using animal dung. These risky methods often result in severe complications, including excessive bleeding, infections, trauma, and even death.
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Despite the government’s rigid stance on abortion, an estimated $14 million is spent annually on post-abortion care in hospitals to mitigate fatalities from unsafe procedures. However, women who seek post-abortion care and the doctors who treat them face societal stigma and discrimination.
Amidst these challenges, activists are pushing for change. Organizations like Dynamic Doctors, the Coalition to Stop Maternal Mortality due to Unsafe Abortion (CSMMUA), and The Uganda Network of Sex Worker-led Organizations (UNESO) are working tirelessly to provide contraceptives and promote awareness about the dangers of unsafe abortions.
Read: ‘It’s needless death’: Ugandan activists decry restrictive abortion laws
Advocates hope that the Ugandan government will eventually reconsider its position, as reforming these laws could save countless lives and prevent the needless deaths of young women across the country.
Adopted from Minority Africa written by Toluwani Omotesho
