By STANDARD REPORTER
Kenya will Friday mark the international day for decriminalisation of abortion amid concerns over the high rate of women dying from unsafe abortion.
Latest Government records estimate that about 2,600 women die annually from unsafe abortion.
Even as this happens, civil society groups led by the Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance are up in arms protesting at attempts by a committee within the Ministry of Health to draft a Health Bill, which if turned into law would limit women’s access to safe legal abortion services.
Reproductive health experts have decried the inclusion of abortion in the draft Health Bill, arguing it should be addressed in a separate Bill.
They have also condemned the classification of abortion as a family planning method.
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“Abortion is a real problem that cannot be ignored. It is a condition like any other and can be managed effectively by a trained health professional,” said the National Nurses Association of Kenya treasurer Jeremiah Maina. He said there was need for concerted efforts.