By Foday Moriba Conteh
In an exclusive interview with this medium, Co-founder and Chairman of People’s Alliance for Reproductive Health Advocacy (PARHA), Fodie Paul Oniel Kamara, stated that unsafe abortion can only be addressed in Sierra Leone through law reform which he said they are seeking to come to fruition through the enactment of the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Bill.
He maintained that enactment of the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Bill is part of their strides in ensuring competent and adequate human resources enhancement, bringing into being an appropriate physical infrastructure and internal systems capable of delivering and promoting adequate and equitable sexual and reproductive health services in the country.
Fodie P. O. Kamara further revealed that the issue of unsafe abortion continues to plague us as a nation adding that women and girls are dying as a result of this malaise. He further highlighted the need for collective approaches in engaging key stakeholders on issues relating to the Bill.
Fodie continued by stating that the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Bill will recognize and promote sexual and reproductive health rights of women in line with international laws, noting that it will make sexual and reproductive health services safe, accessible and qualitative in order to respect, protect and fulfill the right to sexual and reproductive health of women in the country.
The Chairman stated that currently Sierra Leone has one of the highest reported maternal mortality ratios in the world with 717 mothers dying for every 100,000 live births (Sierra Leone Demographic Health Survey (SLDHS) 2018).
He continued that unsafe abortions are particularly common among teenage girls, noting that 25% of maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortion among adolescents. He also added that unsafe abortion is prevalent among young women in Sierra Leone due to many factors including but not limited to stigma and societal pressure, noting that the lack of resources and a conducive legal as well as policy environment are contributory factors to the aforementioned issue.
Fodie P. O. Kamara maintained that lack of access to family planning services, adequate medical care and delivery services are drivers of higher material mortality rates especially in teens and that recent statistics show that maternal mortality accounts for 36 percent of all deaths among women aged 15-49 in the country of which he said this makes Sierra Leone one of the countries in the world with the highest life-time risk of women dying during pregnancy or childbirth.
Fodie P. O. Kamara also highlighted PARHA’s current advocacy priorities which include Lobbying Cabinet for approval of a Cabinet Paper and the subsequent drafting of a proposed Safe Motherhood & Reproductive Health (SMRH) Bill, Repeal of Sections 58 & 59 of the Offences against the Person Act, Repeal of Section 35, Sub-Section 1 (b) & (c) of the Pharmacy & Drugs Act 2001 and Lobbying the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation for a 2% increase in Reproductive Health budget to meet Government’s Commitment on the Abuja Declaration of 15% for Health from the National Budget.
On the issue of the political will, Chairman Fodie P. O. Kamara highlighted several commitments made by both past and present Governments which indicate high potential for political acceptability based on:
The Family Planning 2020 Commitments: July 11, 2017 Commitments at the London Family Planning Summit, Presidential Maiden Speech at the May 12, 2018 State Opening of Parliament, the First Lady’s Flagship “Hands Off Our Girls” Programme, Establishment of a special ‘Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs (MoGCA), Launch of a ‘Male Engagement Strategy to Prevent Sexual & Gender Based Violence; a Costed Implementation Plan (CIP) for Family Planning in response to the Reproductive Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Strategy 2017-2021 etc.
He therefore encouraged parents and elders to have open discussions with their kids and wards in order to give them the right information that will help them avoid unwanted and unintended pregnancy as well as unsafe abortions.
