Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Kenya Tightens Abortion Rules

The authorities in Kenya have banned the international health organisation Marie Stopes from offering any form of abortion services.
The Medical Practitioners Board says it made the decision after investigating complaints that the group's adverts were promoting abortion.  Abortion is illegal in Kenya unless a mother's health is in danger.
Marie Stopes says it operates within the law, offering counselling services including post-abortion care. Some Kenyans fear the ban could lead to a rise in unsafe back-street abortions.
The Medical Practitioners Board says it acted on complaints from, among others, Ann Kioko, campaign manager at pro-life campaign group CitizenGo Africa, and Ezekiel Mutua, chief executive officer of the Kenya Film Classification Board.
Mutua said adverts Marie Stopes were running had "not been approved by the board and they were unprofessional - they were almost making it look cool to have an abortion. Democrats pushed the pro-abortion view and the pro-LGBT stance on us - an agenda that is alien to our own culture," he said.
"Cultural wars across the world being fought on the bodies of black people," was how one Kenyan medical practitioner summed up the situation as the policies of foreign governments have an impact on what Kenyan women are allowed or banned from doing.
Kenya is one of 37 Commonwealth countries that have laws criminalising homosexuality.

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