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MBABANE - UNFPA Population Fund Head of Office Margaret Tembe submitted that in Eswatini, unintended pregnancies occurred in alarming numbers.

According to the 2006-07 Demographic and Health Survey, 64 per cent of births were unintended and of these, 37 per cent were not wanted at all, while 27 per cent were mistimed.

“For the women affected, the most life-altering reproductive choice – whether or not to become pregnant – is no choice at all. This is an unseen crisis unfolding right before our eyes,” said Tembe. She said many people would say this was not an emergency. They will say this has always been the case.

“Why are we alarmed? Why care now? The answer is that it has always been a crisis, but ticetanhldlaiesndgbpeorenengthnhaiedndwceyonri,sldtaritvpoeiarrlseiocsneoadglnaiisssse‘uaeth,waootnmeunethnina’s-t concern’ or ‘a private matter’. Today, we are robs women of their life-altering reproductive choice,” she said.

Death

Tembe further said it was a health issue, one that drove up unsafe abortions, which was one of the leading causes of maternal death globally. “It is a human rights issue – both causing and resulting from gender discrimination and inequality. It is a humanitarian issue. We know that women in conflict zones and prerfeuggneaenccya,minpcslufadcienga fhriogmh rsiesxkuoafl vuinoilnetnecned.eIdt rpisaretaegsdneaovnfeculyo,npwimneteesnentedisestdsruopner.geWcgonhrairlneelcaeytvioaennrsydbcleoatcuwkneteornyf has unacceptably high rates of unintended deTvheeloUpmNeDnPt,”heshade sfauirdt.her said many people would still hesitate to see this as a crisis. Maybe they, or someone they knew, was unplanned, tbhuetrewwelecreommeadnyasnudchdeceapselys; ltohevyedw.eSrehehaspapiyd stories, no doubt. But we could celebrate happy