SAFAIDS has intensified efforts to promote safe abortions in the SADC region under a three year campaign dubbed “My Choice our choice”.
By HealthTimes Correspondent
The campaign comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s abortion rate stands at 18% as most women carry out unsafe terminations owing to the restrictive abortion laws in the country.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Launch workshop held in Harare, Safaids executive director Lois Chingandu said the campaign will also underscore the right of women to take control of their sexual and reproductive health.
“The reason for this meeting is for us design messages for a regional campaign to end unsafe abortions.
“About 14 countries out of the 16 in the SADC region are here and we want to develop a unified message when we go back to our respective countries, each country can translate and contextualize to their situation.
“We want to communicate to policy makers who are our number 1 target because they make the policies and we are saying women do not have to die from unsafe abortions.
Men and boys are partners of women who need abortion and if they support this cause for a more liberal position on abortion then the policy makers will listen,” she said.
Chingandu said while most SADC countries allow abortion under restrictive parameters most women think the practice is outright illegal and the campaign will also be an opportunity to inform them of their rights under existing laws.
South Africa is the only SADC that allows women to abort without any restrictions.
“Most women think abortion is illegal under existing parameters for if they are raped they do not know that pregnancy can be terminated under law so we want to educate them on those rights under the existing restrictive parameters.
“Our overriding message in the campaign is ‘My Choice our Choice’ and we are trying to say the decision to have abortion is an individual choice but we appreciate that some women are in some form of partnership and some time decisions are made jointly with the partner or husband”.
She said in order for the campaign to be successful there was need change perceptions in society by incorporating other stakeholders such at a community level.
“Topic of abortion is highly contested in society religious groups will come in and some we are Christians so it goes against our beliefs while traditionalists will the spirit of the aborted will haunt so government take that into and owing to resistance at community level we have the current laws. However, our campaign will be taken to the community level and change perceptions there and make it easier for policy makers to make more liberal policies on abortion”.
Chingandu said regardless of what society thought of abortion reality on the ground indicated women are having abortions under unregulated environments poising a danger to their well being.
“We are pushing for relaxation and expansion for indications of abortion. In particular we saying when a feels she cannot carry a baby for financial reason or she feels she is not ready there should not be any hindrance”.
