Dr. Wansegamila
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 3, 2012
- 2,858
- 7,847
When I was working as an intern doctor at KCMC hospital, one day I attended to a 16yrs old secondary school girl at the gynecological clinic, she told me that she was pregnant and begged me to terminate the pregnancy because the man responsible has rejected her and the pregnancy; and her father would kill her if he found out; I said no to her and briefed her on the dangers and risks of abortion, and that it’s illegal in Tanzania. Two days later, she came again at the clinic, and I attended to her once again, she had the same request, and this time she was more emotional and tearful. I still said no, and this time, I had a more detailed discussion with her on why it was not a good idea, and I offered some suggestions on how she could handle the matter.
A week later, as I was the first on call doctor in the gynecological ward, I was called to review a serious patient; as I started examining the patient, I recognized her; she was the teenage girl I had seen at the clinic a week ago. She was bleeding profusely, barely conscious, and her body temperature was spiking.
Apparently, she had gone to a local quack for an abortion, and her uterus was perforated with all signs of an overwhelming systemic infection because the procedure was performed in unsterile conditions. We rushed to an operating theater, removed the perforated uterus and controlled the bleeding. Unfortunately,it was too late, she had lost too much blood and the next day, she passed away. I was devastated, and thought may be if I had offered her a safer abortion when I attended to her at the clinic, she wouldn’t have ended at the quack for unsafe abortion, which caused her death.
Whether or not abortion should be legalized, is a hot debate everywhere in the world. The proponents of abortion argue based on the person’s inherent autonomy right on what should/should not happen to their body and the fact that the world does not need more unwanted children. They also argue that legalizing abortion will reduce the deaths and morbidity attributable to unsafe abortions that occur commonly in the setting where abortion is illegal as ours. This argument is supported with the truth that the prevalence of unsafe abortions remain the highest in 80 countries with the most restrictive legislation, up to twenty three unsafe abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age, and the lowest (two per 1000)in fifty two countries that allow abortions.
The rate of unsafe abortions in Tanzania is reported to be very high (36 unsafe abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age-the highest in Africa), attributing to 16% of all maternal deaths. Studies have in fact showed that up to 60% of women admitted with an alleged miscarriage, actually had induced abortions. The economic cost of unsafe abortion on the health system is also alarming; according to an exploratory study in the late 1990s, the cost of a one-day hospital admission for the treatment of abortion complications was more than seven times the ministry of health’s budget per person per year.
The opponents of abortion base their argument on the fact that no one should be given the permission to terminate the life of an innocent unborn child-not even the mother of the child! Nothing is greater and more valuable than the gift of life, and therefore no reason can justify abortion, and spiritually speaking, life begins at the point of conception(when a sperm fertilizes an egg). All major religions and beliefs of the world are therefore against abortion for this reason. It's even more complicated because major religions also do not approve the use of contraceptives as the means of birth control; Causing a vicious cycle of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
The question still lingers in my head oftenly on whether legalizing abortion in our country is the best, cost effective and the most effective way of dealing with unwanted and street children, illegal abortions andpost-abortion complications and deaths. Is there any other alternative/way which is more acceptable and more effective?
A week later, as I was the first on call doctor in the gynecological ward, I was called to review a serious patient; as I started examining the patient, I recognized her; she was the teenage girl I had seen at the clinic a week ago. She was bleeding profusely, barely conscious, and her body temperature was spiking.
Apparently, she had gone to a local quack for an abortion, and her uterus was perforated with all signs of an overwhelming systemic infection because the procedure was performed in unsterile conditions. We rushed to an operating theater, removed the perforated uterus and controlled the bleeding. Unfortunately,it was too late, she had lost too much blood and the next day, she passed away. I was devastated, and thought may be if I had offered her a safer abortion when I attended to her at the clinic, she wouldn’t have ended at the quack for unsafe abortion, which caused her death.
Whether or not abortion should be legalized, is a hot debate everywhere in the world. The proponents of abortion argue based on the person’s inherent autonomy right on what should/should not happen to their body and the fact that the world does not need more unwanted children. They also argue that legalizing abortion will reduce the deaths and morbidity attributable to unsafe abortions that occur commonly in the setting where abortion is illegal as ours. This argument is supported with the truth that the prevalence of unsafe abortions remain the highest in 80 countries with the most restrictive legislation, up to twenty three unsafe abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age, and the lowest (two per 1000)in fifty two countries that allow abortions.
The rate of unsafe abortions in Tanzania is reported to be very high (36 unsafe abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age-the highest in Africa), attributing to 16% of all maternal deaths. Studies have in fact showed that up to 60% of women admitted with an alleged miscarriage, actually had induced abortions. The economic cost of unsafe abortion on the health system is also alarming; according to an exploratory study in the late 1990s, the cost of a one-day hospital admission for the treatment of abortion complications was more than seven times the ministry of health’s budget per person per year.
The opponents of abortion base their argument on the fact that no one should be given the permission to terminate the life of an innocent unborn child-not even the mother of the child! Nothing is greater and more valuable than the gift of life, and therefore no reason can justify abortion, and spiritually speaking, life begins at the point of conception(when a sperm fertilizes an egg). All major religions and beliefs of the world are therefore against abortion for this reason. It's even more complicated because major religions also do not approve the use of contraceptives as the means of birth control; Causing a vicious cycle of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
The question still lingers in my head oftenly on whether legalizing abortion in our country is the best, cost effective and the most effective way of dealing with unwanted and street children, illegal abortions andpost-abortion complications and deaths. Is there any other alternative/way which is more acceptable and more effective?
