Rwanda offers good lesson on how to address teenage pregnancy crisis

Teenage pregnancy crisis. [File, Standard]

World Contraception Day will be marked tomorrow. The day highlights one of the most important yet often neglected issues in public health: The right of every individual to access safe, affordable, and informed contraception. This year’s theme, ’A Choice for All-Agency, Intention, Access,’ reminds us that contraception is not just about preventing pregnancy. It is about agency over one’s body, the ability to plan one’s life with intention, and access to choices without discrimination, barriers, or stigma.

As Kenya joins the global community in commemorating this day, it is time we go beyond rhetoric and confront our uncomfortable realities. We must ask ourselves: How much progress have we truly made in giving women and young people the autonomy to make decisions about their reproductive health? There are important lessons to be drawn from our neighbours. In a bold and pragmatic move last month, Rwanda lowered the age of accessing contraceptives with parental consent from 18 to 15 years. This decision was informed by the escalating rates of teenage pregnancies. Rwanda chose to respond to reality rather than bury its head in the sand.