The Conversation: Kenya is paying a heavy human and financial cost for unsafe abortions
Estelle Monique Sidze, associate research scientist at the African Population and Health Research Center, and Hailemichael Gebreselassie, senior research adviser at Ipas

“One of the critical targets for countries that are trying to meet the Sustainable Development Goals is reducing the number of mothers who die from complications during or immediately after their pregnancies. … In Kenya, this is still a challenge. Every year for every 100,000 births 495 women die. One of the major contributors to this figure are the complications that women sustain during unsafe abortions. … To manage the problem Kenya needs to take urgent action to implement policies and laws that it has in place that are designed to protect women, particularly their reproductive rights. For example, women need better access to a range of contraceptives. But this kind of change requires political will to strengthen governmental institutions and agencies mandated to protect women’s health…” (3/18).