Rev Martin Kalimbe - One of the signatories of the Statement[/caption]
We commend the Malawi Government that it has started the fulfilment of the Maputo Protocol by enacting the Gender Equality Act and by drafting the Termination of Pregnancy Bill which currently is in the Report of the Law Commission on the Review of the Law on Abortion, published in the Government Gazette in 2016.
The time is now ripe for the Malawi Government to complete the work it began on the review of Malawi’s outdated abortion law by adopting the proposed Termination of Pregnancy Bill which the Malawi Law Commission drafted. By drafting the Termination of Pregnancy Bill, Malawi, as a state party to the Protocol, is on the right path to complying and ensuring that its law on abortion is in line with international standards.
The passage of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill is a positive development as it will bring Malawi's legal position on abortion into conformity with that of its neighbors, particularly Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, which are all party to the Maputo Protocol.
It is a betrayal of women and girls who suffer from adverse health and psycho-social effects from unplanned pregnancies that occur under various circumstances, including rape and incest. The delay in enacting a new law for safe abortion as recommended by the Law Commission, at least within the standards set by the Maputo Protocol is a negation of Malawi’s obligations under international law.
The government should, therefore, seriously consider the plight of the women and girls who require the service, rather than the views of those who are not directly affected but seek to control bodily autonomy and the choices of women and girls.
A number of women's and girls' human rights are being violated by the lack of access to high-quality abortion care. These include the right to life, the right to the best possible standard of physical and mental health, the right to participate in scientific advancement and its realization, the freedom to choose how many children to have, when to have them, and the right to be free from torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment, as stated by the World Health Organization.
As we celebrate this year’s International Safe Abortion Day, we urge:
* the government to expedite the enactment of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill.
* the National Assembly to allocate adequate resources to support the prevention of unsafe abortion by scaling up the provision of contraceptives and to continue scaling up postabortion care services.
* the Executive, the Judiciary, the National Assembly, state human rights institutions and civil society organisations to use their power and mandate to protect the realization of sexual and reproductive health rights.
*Religious and community leaders to vigorously promote abstinence among their members and subjects so that unwanted pregnancies, some of which result in unsafe abortions are reduced.
* All the citizens to remain steadfast in claiming their sexual and reproductive health rights.
Signed
JOSEPHINE CHINELE
CHAIRPERSON
REV MARTIN KALIMBE
BOARD MEMBER
Health & SRHR
Enact Termination of Pregnancy Bill To Reduce Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
CENTRE FOR SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM STATEMENT RELEASED ON INTERNATIONAL SAFE ABORTION DAY – SEPTEMBER 28, 2024 Every year on September 28, Malawi...
Rev Martin Kalimbe - One of the signatories of the Statement[/caption]
We commend the Malawi Government that it has started the fulfilment of the Maputo Protocol by enacting the Gender Equality Act and by drafting the Termination of Pregnancy Bill which currently is in the Report of the Law Commission on the Review of the Law on Abortion, published in the Government Gazette in 2016.
The time is now ripe for the Malawi Government to complete the work it began on the review of Malawi’s outdated abortion law by adopting the proposed Termination of Pregnancy Bill which the Malawi Law Commission drafted. By drafting the Termination of Pregnancy Bill, Malawi, as a state party to the Protocol, is on the right path to complying and ensuring that its law on abortion is in line with international standards.
The passage of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill is a positive development as it will bring Malawi's legal position on abortion into conformity with that of its neighbors, particularly Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, which are all party to the Maputo Protocol.
It is a betrayal of women and girls who suffer from adverse health and psycho-social effects from unplanned pregnancies that occur under various circumstances, including rape and incest. The delay in enacting a new law for safe abortion as recommended by the Law Commission, at least within the standards set by the Maputo Protocol is a negation of Malawi’s obligations under international law.
The government should, therefore, seriously consider the plight of the women and girls who require the service, rather than the views of those who are not directly affected but seek to control bodily autonomy and the choices of women and girls.
A number of women's and girls' human rights are being violated by the lack of access to high-quality abortion care. These include the right to life, the right to the best possible standard of physical and mental health, the right to participate in scientific advancement and its realization, the freedom to choose how many children to have, when to have them, and the right to be free from torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment, as stated by the World Health Organization.
As we celebrate this year’s International Safe Abortion Day, we urge:
* the government to expedite the enactment of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill.
* the National Assembly to allocate adequate resources to support the prevention of unsafe abortion by scaling up the provision of contraceptives and to continue scaling up postabortion care services.
* the Executive, the Judiciary, the National Assembly, state human rights institutions and civil society organisations to use their power and mandate to protect the realization of sexual and reproductive health rights.
*Religious and community leaders to vigorously promote abstinence among their members and subjects so that unwanted pregnancies, some of which result in unsafe abortions are reduced.
* All the citizens to remain steadfast in claiming their sexual and reproductive health rights.
Signed
JOSEPHINE CHINELE
CHAIRPERSON
REV MARTIN KALIMBE
BOARD MEMBERKeep reading