The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Two Makerere University law dons have dragged government to the Constitutional Court accusing it of failing to put in place laws legalizing abortions.
Prof. Ben Twinomugisha and Dr. Rose Nakayi together of Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) have asked the court to issue an order compelling the Executive and Parliament to immediately pass a law regulating termination of pregnancies so as to reduce on maternal mortality rates that arise from unsafe abortions.
The law professors contend that the existing law only permits abortion in cases of a mother who is at risk, but doesn’t protect young girls and married women who may get unwanted pregnancies that resort to unsafe abortion methods.
The two scholars argue that in other African countries such as Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia which are similar in social and economic circumstances as Uganda, they developed laws to protect the rights of women by prescribing circumstances under which a woman is allowed to terminate her pregnancy.
They therefore contend that they see no reason as to why Uganda should not borrow a leaf from its neighbours and take an essential step to protect the lives of women who continue dying day by day due to unsafe abortions.
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editor@independent.co.ug
