It is disheartening to learn that not less than six women, some of them not yet of child bearing age, are having their uteri removed, owing to health complications, especially pertaining to unsafe abortion.
Before we even start reciting the many challenges rocking our health sector, it is surprising that, to this day, some adults are still hell bent on pushing their children into early marriages, the results of which are complications when giving birth, some of them even life threatening. Really, should we risk children’s lives and that of future generations by ushering them into early marriages and sexual relationships?
It is not only the adults to blame as some of the children themselves sometimes carelessly put their lives at risk through engaging in sexual activities before their time. It has become common these days to see children, especially girls of a tender age, going out with adult men and in so doing, adding to the growing number of teenage pregnancies, most of which are leading to unsafe abortions.
The country’s health facilities and personnel are already swarmed with patients requiring attention and it is inconsiderate to expect them to also deal with avoidable cases of teenagers who have developed birth related complications due to unsafe abortions.
Already, the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Health this year has been reduced, meaning the inadequate medical resources that were available will continue to shrink. It is therefore incumbent upon parents, community leaders and the teenagers themselves to ensure that children do not fall into the early pregnancy trap.
The Ministry of Health should also realise that giving the children contraceptives and devising a National Strategy for Adolescent Girls and Young Women will not be an instant solution to the problem.
What the ministry, together with stakeholders, needs to do is to embark on an all out campaign to enlighten the children on the dangers of falling pregnant during teen years.
As it stands, we fear for the future because if left unchecked, we might unknowingly be wiping out future generations.
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