Kenya bans Marie Stopes from offering safe reproductive health services

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) has ordered reproductive services provider Marie Stopes to stop offering any form of abortion. “Marie Stopes Kenya is hereby directed to immediately cease and desist from offering any form of abortion services in all its facilities within the republic,” stated the committee.

The committee also cautioned Marie Stopes to ensure that future promotions conform to the advertising rules of medical practitioners and that the organisation file a weekly report for all services rendered in its facilities for 60 days.

“Marie Stopes is directed to pull down the misleading information on its website and any other information channels with immediate effect and ensure that any future information shall conform to the provisions of the KMPDB and Advertising Rules.”

The board says it acted on complaints from, among others, morality caricature Ezekiel Mutua. Referring to Marie Stopes promotions, Mutua said in a statement that these had “not been approved by the board” and were “unprofessional – they were almost making it look cool to have an abortion”.

“Democrats pushed the pro-abortion view and the pro-LGBT stance on us – an agenda that is alien to our own culture,” he continued.

Children by choice, not by chance

Marie Stopes has been helping Kenyan women manage their options since 1985 through its multiple clinics and mobile outreach clinics across the country.

With slogans like “Children by choice, not chance”, the organisation is focused on arming women with the information and services they need to be in control of their future.

Abortion should be a choice. Cartoon: Damien Glez/This is Africa

The organisation’s country director, Dana Tilson, told the Daily Nation newspaper that the abortion services they were offering were in line with the constitution.

Read: Thoughts after World Contraception Day

“Marie Stopes Kenya offers pregnancy crisis counselling and post-abortion care with the aim of saving the woman and promoting positive health outcomes,” she said.

Further to this, the organisation is continually having its efforts frustrated by the government. Last year, they were admonished for giving contraceptives to schoolgirls in Kitui County.

“The Catholic Church’s strong stand against contraceptives is widely known. It is sad that this happened within a school we sponsor but more fundamentally the negative effect — spoiling the girls morally,” said Father Julius Muthamba told The Standard newspaper at the time.

No options for women

As is the case in many African countries, the Kenyan government is unbothered by women’s issues, except to further limit their options. The government is determined that sexual education in schools be limited to cautioning abstinence and will not allow organisations like Marie Stopes to give contraception for students to practice safe sex. And now it has eliminated the only avenue for safe abortions.

Research conducted by the Kenyan Ministry of Health found that nearly half a million unsafe abortions occurred in Kenya in 2012, resulting in different forms and levels of medical complications.

According to a different study by the African Population and Health Research Centre and the Ministry of Health, more than 2 600 women die annually in Kenya from unsafe abortions. This means seven deaths a day, which is the highest number in East Africa.

Unsafe abortions are the termination of pregnancies either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment lacking minimum medical standards, or both. It is a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity globally.

Read: Abortion caregivers and companions: The age of the full spectrum doula is here

Complications of unsafe abortions include organ failure, sepsis, which sometimes results in death, secondary infertility and chronic reproductive tract infections.

Dr John Ongech, senior gynaecologist and obstetrician at Kenyatta National Hospital, said many girls were not aware of the long-term impacts of unsafe abortion.

“It is better to carry a child to term and give birth rather than having an unsafe abortion, which will later have so many health implications,” he warned.

As if limiting sex education, keeping young girls from attaining protection and limiting their access to safe termination when they do get pregnant was not enough, the Kenya National Examinations Council has declared that they will not give supplementary national exams to those who give birth or need pre-natal interventions during the examination period.