NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 2 – With just one day to go to the Constitution referendum, a new report by a human rights watchdog shows that 92 percent of women in Kenyan slums have procured an abortion at least once in their lifetime.
The report by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) comes at a time when the Constitution debate has reached its peak with the church opposing the proposed Constitution over the abortion clause.
“Despite the fact that the respondents were exposed to high risks of complications, most of them did not bother to undergo a follow up in a hospital,” KHRC Acting Deputy Executive Director Tom Kagwe said on Monday.
Mr Kagwe said 80 percent of the abortions were through perforation of the cervix to induce premature labour, 15 percent used herbs while the other five percent used medical personnel.
“Whether or not the debate on abortion will inform people (on the way to vote in the referendum) it is clear that even before 4th of August unsafe abortion has been procured and even after that people will still secure unsafe abortion countrywide,” he said.
The study was done among 65 women between March and April last year in Korogocho slums.
Read more: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/Kenyanews/Abortions-rife-in-Kenyan-slums-9307.html#ixzz0wsyy6qLo
