By Amamboh Carrey-Pride.
Studies have shown that 15% of women in Cameroon die from abortion and 12,000 women in the world die from unsafe abortion as stated by barrister Fonsoh during a training workshop for nurses, doctors and journalists, organized by the the Rural women center for Education and development, on the full extend of abortion services provided by the national law and capacity building on the provision of non judgemental post abortion care. Barrister Fonsoh Germaine, a sexual and reproduction Health Rights Advocate and main facilatator, schooled the participants on the extend to which the law permits abortion in Cameroon, stating that there are only two instances to which the law permits abortion. The first instance is if the pregnancy is a threat to the life of the mother and the second instance is if the pregnancy was gotten as a result of a rape case and is only allowed after a series of legal and medical procedures to prove that it is a rape case.During the workshop, major Stake holders from the health sector in the Northwest region, had a meeting With all participants present including doctors and nurses where some major recommendations were made.
One of such recommendations, includes the introduction of sex education as a subject in schools. The meeting was also an occasion for about 4 health districts in the Northwest region, to benefit a package from RUWCED. The package consisted of a vacuum aspirator. This machine, as explained by Lebo Samuel, the coordinator of RUWCED, is a manual instrument used to Clean the stomach after an abortion. He adds that it also reduces the pain felt by women during post abortion. An abortion is the conscious or unconscious termination of a pregnancy before it is due. The participants were further drilled on the importance of sex education especially in the family and on the role of the parents in providing sex education to their kids especially the girl child. Mrs Nda Grace a nurse and facilitator, stated that every parent should watch their children an respond fast to pubertal changes when it happens for example in a girl child, she develops breast and menstruation starts at this point she says, every parent should educate the child and broaden her mind this will go a long way to reduce the Rate of unwanted pregnancies and the spread of STI's.
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