Abortion: Time for an honest debate

In 2016 health minister Bernard Haufiku tried everything possible to revive the contentious debate on abortion. He even went as far as calling on government to hold a referendum on legalising abortion, but that is where it all ended. In Namibia abortion is illegal before the law and can only be performed under strict medical supervision within the confines of the law in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is in danger. This archaic law, which was inherited from South Africa, is now being frowned upon by both human rights and gender activists. But things have since changed in South Africa and in 2003 the 1996 Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act was amended to allow any health facility with a 24-hour maternity service to offer first trimester abortion services. The situation is, however, different in Namibia, while current legislation is regarded as restrictive, which according to experts is more than likely in violation of women's human rights and the Namibian constitution. The bone of contention here is that women have little say in the debate regarding abortion and that current legislation has a “disproportionate effect on poor women” especially. Local activists actually agree with a campaign for the decriminalising of abortion in Africa by the African Commission on Human and People's Rights launched in 2016. The Aids and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) at the time claimed that “evidence has shown that laws that criminalise abortions do not prevent women from having abortions. They only make them unsafe.” Dianne Hubbard of the Legal Assistance Centre's gender research and advocacy project noted that “laws restricting access to abortion do not discourage women from having abortions. They simply drive abortion underground, with tragic consequences for women's health and well-being.” It goes without saying that a change of policy will have a profound effect on Namibian women's health, especially the poor mothers who have no option but to access dangerous backstreet abortions or home remedies, which could be harmful. The question of legalising abortion usually arouses strong emotions from society and church leaders, but the politicians' silence on this hot topic is deafening to say the least. The situation on the ground calls for an urgent and honest debate and we can't simply shy away from it.