Abortion in Uganda

Abortion in Uganda is illegal unless performed by a licensed medical doctor in a situation where the woman's life is deemed to be at risk.[1][2]

With women lacking access to safe and legal abortions, many of them turn to unsafe abortion practices, such as self-induced abortions. The Ugandan Ministry of Health in the Annual Health Sector Performance Report of 2017-2018 estimates that as of 2018, 5.3% of all maternal deaths result from abortion complications.[3]

There are many legal and socioeconomic barriers to safe abortion and other family planning services, which often results in women using unsafe abortion methods and being deterred from seeking post-abortion medical care.[4][5] Contraception is also not commonly used or easily accessible, which leads to Ugandan women having more children than they desire and increases the number of women resorting to unsafe abortions.[6][7]

  1. ^ "HEALTH SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2015/16 - 2019/20" (PDF).
  2. ^ Moore, Ann M.; Kibombo, Richard; Cats-Baril, Deva (2014). "Ugandan opinion-leaders' knowledge and perceptions of unsafe abortion". Health Policy and Planning. 29 (7): 893–901. doi:10.1093/heapol/czt070. PMID 24064047.
  3. ^ "Annual Health Sector Performance Report 2017/18 | Ministry of Health Knowledge Management Portal". library.health.go.ug. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  4. ^ Abortion in Uganda. (2013). Retrieved June 16, 2016, from https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/abortion-uganda#6
  5. ^ Olson, Rose Mckeon; Kamurari, Solomon (2017). "Barriers to safe abortion access: Uterine rupture as complication of unsafe abortion in a Ugandan girl". BMJ Case Reports. 2017: bcr-2017-222360. doi:10.1136/bcr-2017-222360. PMC 5665318. PMID 29054903.
  6. ^ Migiro, Katy (21 November 2013). "Uganda women unable to get contraception, dying from unsafe abortions". Thomas Reuters Foundation.
  7. ^ Prada, Elena; Atuyambe, Lynn M.; Blades, Nakeisha M.; Bukenya, Justine N.; Orach, Christopher Garimoi; Bankole, Akinrinola (2016-11-01). "Incidence of Induced Abortion in Uganda, 2013: New Estimates Since 2003". PLOS ONE. 11 (11): e0165812. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1165812P. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165812. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5089684. PMID 27802338.