Kenyan government sued over ban on Marie Stopes

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We live in a diversely opinionated world where ideas clash everyday because of perceptions created different beliefs.

A non-governmental organization has sued the State over a decision to ban Marie Stopes from offering abortion services.

Network For Adolescents and Youth of Africa argues that the move is contrary to the constitution specifically the right to life and health.

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The organization further claims that women and girls are now unable to access lifesaving services.

“The ban is a deterrent for any woman or girl in Kenya from accessing safe abortion and post abortion services owing to the misinformation it communicates and resultant chilling effect on health service providers who provide chilling effect on health service providers who provide safe and legal abortion and post abortion care services,” read court documents.

They are also seeking conservatory orders staying the decision by the Director of Medical Services to ban the provisions of post abortion care services by Marie Stopes Kenya as contained in his letter dated November 14.

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They claim that there’s a real danger that comes as a result of the denial of emergency medical treatment.

The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) also said it had filed a petition calling on the high court to declare the ban by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) unconstitutional and have it lifted immediately.

“Marie Stopes is providing emergency abortions and post-abortive care – and this is provided for under the constitution,” Evelyne Opondo, CRR’s Africa director, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

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“The constitution also states that emergency care is a right of every citizen and so Marie Stopes – like any other health facility – has an obligation to provide such care.”

Marie Stopes – which has worked in Kenya for more than three decades and has 22 clinics across the east African nation – said it was not part of the petition.

The charity said its media campaign was aimed at creating public awareness of Kenya’s high rates of unsafe abortion, rather than encouraging people to terminate their pregnancies.

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“Wherever we work, Marie Stopes International respects and complies with national laws and regulations governing abortion,” a spokesman for Marie Stopes Kenya said.

“In Kenya, abortion is legally permitted when a woman’s health or life is at risk, yet a lack of awareness about the law means on average seven women die every day as the result of an unsafe abortion.”

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