Fpam engages youths on post abortion care

Family Planning Association of Malawi (Fpam) says it is important for young people to know the arguments in the Termination of Pregnancy Bill to help communities understand post-abortion care issues.

Speaking on Tuesday during a training for young people from traditional authorities (T/A) Kalumo and Chilooko on post-abortion care in Ntchisi, Fpam director of programmes Tazirwa Chipeta said they want youths to conduct awareness campaigns on the amendments to the Bill.

He said additions to the amendments are malformation of foetus, rape and incest where it will be up to the woman to abort or not.

Chipeta added that the last one is physically or mentally when the pregnancy will cause health damage to the woman.

He said: “Due to lack of information, we are implementing a Women Integrated Sexual Health 2 Action Project to take the safe abortion discussion from national level to communities for people to know the amendments.”

Ntchisi district post-abortion care coordinator Griffin Zambetsani said many women develop  complications due to unsafe abortions.

“We feel that the project will provide more insights and improve the quality of care that we give to clients, thereby reducing maternal deaths, especially when the Bill is tabled and becomes law,” he said.

Zambetsani said this year they recorded one maternal death, adding that they register 600 cases of unsafe abortions every year.

Mwayiwathu Youth Club chairperson Milicah Banda said the training was important.

“We will advocate for post-abortion care and lobby legislators to pass the Bill in Parliament,” she said.

With funding from Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, Fpam is implementing the project in the two T/As in the district