Abortion law reform ruled out for now.After an extensive hospital based study on abortion conducted from November 1995 to October 1998, which proved that women all over Namibia resort to unsafe and horrendous methods to end unwanted pregnancies, Minister of Heath and Social Services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales , Libertine lib·er·tine n. 1. One who acts without moral restraint; a dissolute person. 2. One who defies established religious precepts; a freethinker. adj. Morally unrestrained; dissolute. Amathila, could still not find the courage to retable retable (rē`tābəl), frame for decorative panels at the back of an altar in European churches. Retables, often sumptuously decorated in alabaster and gold, generally contained scenes from the Bible. the amendments (drafted in 1999) to the restrictive Abortion and Sterilisation Act of 1975. ********** Speaking at the launch of the study in December 2002, Amathila was quoted as saying that the current abortion law Abortion law is legislation which pertains to the provision of abortion. Abortion has at times emerged as a controversial subject in various societies because of the moral and ethical issues that surround it, though other considerations, such as a state's pro- or antinatalist would not be liberalised at least for the next 10 years, fearing pressure from religious groups. Despite statistics proving that back street abortions are a major cause of maternal mortality, Amathila admitted that she was not ready to introduce such amendments, adding that maybe the next minister "will have the courage." Interestingly, the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Kalumbi Shangula, appears quite supportive of such law reform. In the foreword to the report he noted that abortion-related deaths are "a tremendous tragedy" and that they are all preventable. He further noted that the costs involved in managing abortion-related complications can be expected to severely compromise the health care budget as well as the human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. available for health care. "It is my sincere hope that the findings of this study will support the government in making appropriate decisions so that we can protect women in Namibia against the sequelae sequelae Clinical medicine The consequences of a particular condition or therapeutic intervention of unsafe abortions, including death," he concluded. The study's objectives were to establish the number of admissions for abortion-related complications at 17 major hospitals in all regions of Namibia Namibia is divided into 13 administrative regions: Regions of Namibia
Dilatation and curettage (D & C) is a gynecological procedure in which the lining of the uterus (endometrium) is scraped away. (D&C) procedures performed (these are often done to remove the remains of an incomplete abortion in·com·plete abortion n. Abortion in which all of the products of conception are not expelled from the uterus. incomplete abortion from the uterus); the number of abortion-related maternal deaths and their causes; and finally the perspectives of health workers and hospitalised women on abortion. The study found that 7 147 women were admitted with abortion-related complications, while 5 401 D&Cs were performed. Most women admitted to hospital had symptoms of vaginal bleeding Vaginal bleeding refers to bleeding in females that are either a physiologic response during the non-conceptional menstrual cycle or caused by hormonal or organic problems of the reproductive system. and were diagnosed with incomplete abortion. Given the fact that abortion is legal in only restricted circumstances in Namibia, none of the women interviewed admitted that they had a self-induced abortion A self-induced abortion is an abortion performed outside the recognized medical system. Although the term can include abortions induced through legal, over-the-counter medication, it also refers to efforts to terminate a pregnancy through more dangerous means. and rather recalled methods used by women they knew. These include drinking various mixtures of bleach, spirit, soda, Lewens essence, herbal and traditional medicine, boiled whisky or wine, battery acid, boiled newspapers, beauty products, shoe polish, powder soap and beer. Tablets taken include cockroach cockroach or roach, name applied to approximately 3,500 species of flat-bodied, oval insects forming the order Blattodea. Cockroaches have long antennae, long legs adapted to running, and a flat extension of the upper body wall that conceals the tablets and lots of contraceptive pills. Other methods are to put leaves and other foreign objects in the vagina or to throw a heavy sandbag Sandbag A stalling tactic used by management to deter a company that is showing interest in taking them over. Notes: The company stalls in hopes that a more favorable company will take them over. on the stomach. Sixty-nine women admitted with abortion-related complications were interviewed. Though not all of them were maried, they did have partners. But most of their partners did not have a regular source of income, while the majority of the women indicated that they did not have enough resources to meet the basic needs of children. Most women admitted were in the age group of 25-29, followed by the age groups of 20-24 and 30-34. The majority already had children and were in their first trimester Noun 1. first trimester - time period extending from the first day of the last menstrual period through 12 weeks of gestation trimester - a period of three months; especially one of the three three-month periods into which human pregnancy is divided of pregnancy. The reasons most frequently given as to why women terminate their pregnancy were: being rejected by their boyfriend or partner, being too young or still in school. One of the women interviewed said her husband did not approve of contraceptives and that he wanted more children, but that she felt tired. "My husband needs to be educated that many children make women weak," she said. When asked about the kind of support systems they need, most women said that they needed social and psychological support from their partners, relatives and health workers. They also mentioned clinical care including explanations of their physical condition, and spiritual support. "In addition the need for health education on the causes of abortion and its prevention as well as family planning family planning Use of measures designed to regulate the number and spacing of children within a family, largely to curb population growth and ensure each family’s access to limited resources. methods were identified," the report reads. Over the three-year period the study was conducted, 107 maternal deaths were identified, of which 17 (16%) were attributed to abortion-related complications. The study however notes that the figure may not reflect the real situation, as the occurrence of maternal death is likely to be under reported. An interesting finding was that the majority of women dying of abortion-related complications were under the age of 25. "This may be consistent with anecdotal reports on attempts of young people resorting to unsafe abortion or committing suicide because of an unwanted pregnancy" it reads. The study also found that approximately one third of abortion-related maternal deaths were due to septic and illegally induced abortions, which is consistent with a study on maternal deaths in the North West Health Region conducted in 1993. It found that one of the major health problems related to maternal deaths was unwanted pregnancies, with unsafe abortion being identified as one of the direct causes of maternal deaths. "The proportion of maternal deaths due to abortion is significant, being higher than the global average, indicating that abortion is a serious health problem in Namibia," the report states. Recommendations made in the report are for the ministry to address public health concerns in relation to unsafe abortion by bringing about amendments to the Abortion and Sterilisation Act of 1975 and to initiate a consultative process with health workers on the proposed amendments, in order to ensure their support. The study further recommends that communities should be made aware of the magnitude of abortion-related problems and the means to address these issues, including family planning and safe abortion services. The importance of post-abortion counselling as a routine was also recommended. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Abortion and Sterilisation Act Of 1975 there are seven criteria under which a legal abortion can be performed. These are: when the continued pregnancy endangers the life of the woman; when the pregnancy constitutes a serious threat to her physical or mental health; where there is a serious risk that the child will suffer from a physical or mental defect of such a nature that s/he will be irreparably seriously handicapped; where the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest or from sexual intercourse sexual intercourse or coitus or copulation Act in which the male reproductive organ enters the female reproductive tract (see reproductive system). with a woman who was mentally unable to consent. Interestingly, the study shows that HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. status is major reason for legal hospital based abortions in Namibia today. Being a hospital based study, no information was gathered on the number of women whose health and fertility is permanently impaired as a result of unsafe abortion. There is also no discussion of the cultural factors leading to unwanted pregnancy and abortion, factors which deny women sexual autonomy and also underlie women's high infection rates with HIV. Further research and analysis is needed in order to develop a holistic understanding of and approach to women's sexual and reproductive health Within the framework of WHO's definition of health[1] as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene and rights, as evidenced at the recent Amanitare Conference (see pp. 18 &19). According to the report, approximately 40 women travel to South Africa every month in order to utilise their safe abortion services. The Marie Stopes Clinics provide such services. Following are their addresses. Jeppe Street Clinic Johannesburg +27 11 337 8020 Soweto Clinic Diepkloof +27 11 938 3976 Randburg Clinic Randburg +27 11 781 2061 Port Elizabeth Clinic Port Elizabeth + 27 41 35 0145 Cape Town Clinic Cape Town +27 21 418 0560 Durban Clinic Durban +27 31 304 2005 Bloemfontein Clinic Bloemfontein +27 51 447 2541 For further information contact Sister Namibia. |
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