Abortion debate rages on

Social advocate Bience Gawanas has joined health minister Bernhard Haufiku in calling on Namibians to the debate on decriminalisation of abortion in a bid to cut down on risky illegal abortions and baby dumping and urged Namibians to clamp down on its judgment and instead accept the hard reality.

“We need to debate this, and face the ugly truths. A lot of us are not for abortion, but I will not stand in judgement of somebody that wants to do it.”

She said instead, Namibians should look at the high number of women who are risking their lives in order to obtain an abortion.

Health minister Bernhard Haufiku said earlier this year that more than 7 000 women were treated at state health facilities for complications arising from suspected illegal abortions, noting that while some Namibians can afford safe and legal abortions in neighbouring countries, less affluent Namibians are forced to accept risky options in Namibia.

“We need an honest and thorough national reflection on the reasons why so many women risk their lives by getting unsafe abortions, in a country where contraceptives are widely available.”

Gawanas said although Haufiku's plea made many people uncomfortable, he “spoke truth to power”.

She said desperate girls, many underage, some who have been raped or coerced, seek out unsafe abortions that put their lives at risk, and then face the scorn of society, forcing them into secrecy.

“So cultural and religious judgements, that is what drives our children from our clinics and from ourselves, to do a lot of things in the backstreets. We need to face reality,” she stressed, adding that avoiding the debate forces Namibians to “live with the consequences of not doing anything.”

Instead, she urged Namibians to “take action and take action together. We owe it to our young girls and boys, not to become mothers and fathers before they are ready to do so.”



Gawanas also highlighted the high rate of teenage pregnancy overall, and said it's urgent that the issue be addressed because it's robbing youngsters of their youth, while at the same time they are not prepared for the role of parenthood.



“It is a really sad state of affairs, that we can only blame ourselves for,” she said, pointing out the feelings of shame, guilty and blame that surround teen pregnancies.



Some, she said, choose to avoid illegal abortions and instead, desperate, dump their babies after birth.



“And we look for her. Because she is a criminal, she has murdered, she has dumped. But as a society, we do not ask ourselves, how is it possible that in Namibia these things still happen.”



She said it's critical that families accept that children become sexually curious and active at earlier ages and that Namibians need to help them understand the issue and avoid unwanted pregnancies, diseases, and more.







Family health is all of us



Gawanas, speaking on the issue of maternal health and child mortality, said a key factor is choice, emphasising that family planning is not a “woman's issue, it is a family issue.”



Moreover, she said there is a clear link between poverty and mental and physical health.



In line with this, maternal mortality usually affects the poorer members of society, who grapple with issues such as malnutrition, lack of access to clinics and hospitals, lack of care and a safety and more.



She said maternal mortality “does not start when the woman enters the delivery ward. It starts from the day the woman falls pregnant, and how well she is taken care of.”



Gawanas said ideally, “every baby that is born should be a wanted baby; a baby that is born out of love, by a person who is willing and able to take care of that child.”



She said currently the voices of men are missing in talks on sexual and reproductive health rights.



She said men should learn to communicate more effectively and openly with their female counterparts, noting they could be critical “change agents” to the cause.



“Make sure your daughters have access to education, which can make a huge difference in the life of a woman, not only empower them economically, but help them make those choices in their lives on whether they want to have a child. Talk to your sons about responsible sexuality and masculinity. Promote gender equality and condemn violence against women and children.”







Menstruation is not taboo



Gawanas said that she “can't wait” for the day Namibia's government follows in the footsteps of Kenya, which recently announced the free distribution of sanitary towels to schoolgirls.



“If we can give free condoms, surely we should be able to give free sanitary towels and make those girls feel that they can stand up and go to school when they are menstruating,” Gawanas said.



She said such a national move would help address the taboo around menstruation, and help girls “feel that it is not wrong and not shameful to menstruate”.



She said another issue the government could look at is out-of-pocket expenses, such as providing free medical care to pregnant women and to children of a certain age group.



Gawanas, currently a special advisor to the minister of poverty eradication, was speaking to the Rural Woman's Parliament in Windhoek, where she addressed the group on maternal health and child mortality.



JANA-MARI SMITH