Stiff fines for Illegal abortion clinics
SITEKI – Illegal abortion clinics that charge E400 or E450 for abortion pills to pregnant tertiary students who want to save their scholarships and married women desperate to save their marriages face stiff fines.
Director of the Health Services in the Ministry of Health Dr. Velephi Okello said the ministry was still working on ensuring that the Health Bill was adopted and that its supporting regulations were drafted to introduce steep fines for those engaged in illegal abortions.
“While there is a clause in the Constitution on abortions, currently there is no Act and Regulations on illegal abortion in the country,” she said. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) Dr. Betfusile Mahlalela said they supported the country’s Constitutional provisions on this issue.
“We abide by the Constitution of the country and we don’t impose but respect government protocols as a member of the UN,” she said.
Agency
UNESCO is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN), aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture.
Meanwhile, abortion clinics continue to advertise their services on social media platforms without being investigated and arrested to face the law as abortion remained illegal in the country.
A source revealed that tertiary students and married women were the main clients of the illegal abortion clinics. The source further urged the Ministry of Health to investigate the matter so that more people could be saved from the unscrupulous conduct by the illegal abortion clinics.
Most of the abortion clinics are believed to be situated around the Manzini-Mbabane corridor.
“It is disheartening that government has done nothing to bring the culprits to book. They are busy advertising their services and tertiary students and married women, who mistakenly fall pregnant outside their marriage are tempted to use their services. The students buy the pills to terminate their pregnancies at an early stage, while the women who engage in infidelity also use their services to save their marriages,” said the source. This publication further contacted the abortion clinics to enquire about their services and if they monitored the abortion process. The newspaper also wanted to know if they followed their clients through after the abortion and whether they were trained health care workers.
About three of the illegal abortion clinics were contacted and they collectively indicated that they only sold pills to their clients and undertook hand deliveries.
Their particulars will be withheld for now, as the investigation into their activities is ongoing.
They were asked if they conducted their services in clinics, hospitals or in private set-ups and if it was safe to use their pills. This newspaper also sought to know if they gave advice and monitored the termination processes to their clients as well as other details about the safety of the abortion.
“They cost E400. We don’t monitor them but do hand delivery of the pills. I am selling abortion pills and don’t give advices,” said one of the service provider.
Another said; “The pills cost E450. At two months pregnancy they are still safe to use.”
Meanwhile, another said; “I am in Manzini and sell abortion pills that cost E400 and can help my client when she needs to be helped.”
Marriages
When asked if indeed their clients were tertiary students and married women, who wanted to save their marriages, they did not respond to this question.
Meanwhile, according to the country’s Constitution, on the section of Sexual and Reproductive Rights, it states that abortion is unlawful but might be allowed on medical or therapeutic grounds, including where a doctor certifies that continued pregnancy would endanger the life or constitute a serious threat to the physical health of the woman.
It further states that abortion might be allowed if continued pregnancy would constitute a serious threat to the mental health of the woman and if there is a serious risk that the child would suffer from physical or mental defects of such a nature that the child would be irreparably seriously handicapped.
It further states that abortion might be allowed where the pregnancy resulted from rape, incest or unlawful sexual intercourse with a mentally retarded female.