Most of us come from places where abortion is a taboo topic. In Kenya, abortion is actually illegal but there are some exceptions that can be made only if the mother’s life is at risk. Different women have different reasons for terminating their pregnancies. For some, it could be because they’re not ready to have a baby, others because they discovered the fetus isn’t developing as it should, others because the pregnancy is a result of rape. If you’d ask me, I’d say that women’s bodies don’t need to be governed by laws and safe abortion services should be made available to any and every woman who needs them. All it should take for a woman to go through with an abortion is her decision to do so. We’re all about pro-choice here, in case you hadn’t already noticed. Seriously though, is it so difficult to let women have autonomy over their bodies?
The fact that abortion has always been illegal but girls and women still find ways of terminating their pregnancies, oftentimes resorting to quack doctors, should be the more reason why these services need to be made available. Truth be told, we are not going to stop having sex neither are we about to stop going for abortions if we see fit. So putting up laws that restrict us from accessing safe abortion services is just paving way for more women to go through unsafe abortions, which actually puts us at more risk of losing our lives.
Anyways, terminating a pregnancy is safest if it is done within the first trimester (first 12 weeks). The procedure becomes riskier and more costly as the pregnancy progresses. The most common way of terminating a pregnancy is through the abortion pill. Here, the patient is usually given two pills; mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone works to block the hormone necessary for a pregnancy to grow. Misoprostol is taken 24-48 hours after taking the first pill and it usually stimulates the uterus to cramp and bleed, causing the pregnancy to come out. Other methods of terminating a pregnancy are; vacuum aspiration, dilation & evacuation, hysterotomy, dilation & curettage, and labour induction.
In case of a pregnancy termination, it is important to see a specialist who will take you through the different procedures and help you choose the most effective method for you.
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