Facts about abortion that many don’t know about

The country is still reeling from the death of human’s right defender Caroline Mwatha following a botched abortion at New Njiru Community Center in Dandora.

According to Peter Ndegwa, an independent pathologist, the activist died as a result of excessive bleeding from a ruptured uterus. Mwatha had a five to six month old male foetus that was badly mutilated.

‘’Caroline lost a lot of blood internally and externally. She was about five to six months pregnant with a male foetus, unfortunately I think someone mutilated the foetus it has no one left upper limb it has no brain because it has been sucked out and the skull and bones are fractured,’’ Mr Ndegwa said in part on Thursday 14th, 2019 while addressing journalists at the Umash Funeral Home where the autopsy was carried out.

As investigations continue, six people including the clinic’s owner Betty Akinyi Nyaya alias Betty Ramoya have been arrested in connection to Mwatha’s death.

As Kenyans come to terms with the unfortunate turn of events, the concern for safe abortions has come to the fore.

When faced with unwanted pregnancies, many women feel overwhelmed and are desperate for a quick fix before thinking of other options.

Casting no stone to any woman who decides to have an abortion, it is important for all women out there to learn about other options other than abortion which is often the most talked about option.

It is also important to understand certain facts pertaining to abortion:

Abortion can be very costly should things not go to plan. This all depends on the stage of the pregnancy, the clinic and those procuring it. Complications do happen and this means certain risk factors have to be considered. Can the hospital handle an emergency should the woman require surgery, are some of the questions that arise. Examples include infection of the uterus, excessive bleeding, torn cervix, blood clots, reaction to anaesthesia or incomplete abortion which may require vacuum aspiration. Abortion is irreversible. Once the procedure starts there is no going back. Depending on the circumstances that led a woman to make that decision, some cases of post-abortion stress syndrome have been reported. Women do struggle with their decision long after it was done and this may require one getting in touch with a counsellor or psychologist to get to the bottom of it. Abortion is time sensitive. The younger the pregnancy, the safer it is. Abortion might compromise fertility if a woman is considering getting pregnant in future