Youths advocate for abortion Bill
Some youths in Machinga have urged parliamentarians to prioritise the long-awaited Termination of Pregnancy Bill during the current meeting to protect the rights of women and girls in the district.
The call comes in the wake of alarming reports of post-abortion cases among the youth in the district as statistics show a record of 430 cases in the first half of this year compared to 310 last year.
Traditional Authority (T/A) Kapoloma youth advocate chairperson Prisca Masika said the delay in passing the Bill was pushing women and girls to unsafe procedures leading to grave complications.
She said this on Monday during the training on access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) meeting held in the district.
Said Masika: “We have the right to choose whether to continue with a pregnancy, especially when our rights are being infringed upon or are at risk.
“Denying passing the Bill only leads to the use of unsafe methods.”
T/A Mizinga Youth Network chairperson Madalitso Peter said they will engage faith leaders as most of them oppose the Bill.
“Last week, we lost a Standard Eight learner who became pregnant and attempted to terminate it using unsafe means. If the Bill was passed, we could have saved this young girl’s life,” he said.
Commenting on the matter, the district’s youth-friendly and health service coordinator Kenneth Mkandawire said the facility treats an average of 73 women a month for complications emanating from unsafe abortions.
Meanwhile, Malawi Sexual and Reproductive Health Alliance youth programmes coordinator Gertrude Kapyepye said after the training, they expect the youth to engage key stakeholders who can influence policy changes.
Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education conducted the meeting with funding from Amplify Change through Access to Comprehensive SRHR
