‘Abortion fight everyone’s role’

 

By DOREEN NAWA
ONE of the serious threats among young women in Zambia’s society is unsafe abortion and it is usually left to doctors alone to deal with.
But recently, IPAS Zambia held a meeting with the Zambia Police Service as a way of incorporating the police in the fight against unsafe abortion.
IPAS is a non-governmental organisation that advocates women’s reproductive health rights.
Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani said in a speech read on her behalf that illegal or unsafe abortion is a growing concern and is a crime that affects females in the country.
Ms Libongani said police will continue to develop strategies in the fight against illegal or unsafe abortions until the vice is curbed.
She said police have a vital role to play in the prevention of all types of crimes, including unsafe abortion.
The meeting, which was held in Lusaka, was aimed at attitude transformation for police officers.
Statistics indicate that unwanted pregnancies and abortion among young girls are on the rise. Observers and experts on the issue believe that unsafe abortions constitute a major contributor to the country’s maternal mortality.
And speaking earlier, IPAS country director Felicia Sakala said abortion is also as a result of social pressure.
“The status quo of ‘single mother’ remains hardly acceptable by society. This fuels young women to escape the “social disgrace” by aborting. Abortion has also been linked to a number of physical and psychological problems such as drug and alcohol abuse.
“Furthermore, psychological conditions after rape, abandonment and betrayal from the father of a child make it impossible to keep the unborn baby,” Ms Sakala said.
According to Ms Sakala, one of the best ways to prevent abortions is through education. She said prevention of unwanted pregnancies is always the best way to avoid abortion.
She said sex education programmes provide young people with a comprehensive understanding of the facts, adding that sexual education does not increase sexual activity, instead it increases knowledge and responsibility, and involvement of men in the process should be considered.
“Men and women should have equal roles in preventing unwanted pregnancies, create new birth control methods. In order to help young people avoid unintended pregnancies, we must provide them with a better understanding of human sexual development, a better education, real career opportunities, job development, training, placement and hope for a better life,” Ms Sakala said.