President agrees on bill to legalize abortion

Published on : 03/07/2022 – 13:25

In Sierra Leone, women might soon have legal abortions. President Julius Maada Bio gave the green light on Friday July 1 to a bill aimed at legalizing abortion.

Current law prohibits voluntary termination of pregnancy unless the woman’s life is in danger. As a result, many are quietly resorting to traditional doctors with dangerous practices. It is precisely for ensure health and dignity of women that the Sierra Leonean president gave his consent, while the right to abortion was called into question in the United States. He said to himself ” proud to lead progressive reform ».

This decision is welcomed by feminist activists, like Huldah Imah-Paul, joined by RFI: “ For me, this bill will reduce the number of lives lost because the mortality rate among young girls using traditional doctors was very high. So many mothers have mourned the death of their children ! Some parents didn’t even know their daughters were pregnant. Many of them say nothing because of the fear and stigma they face in their communities. Sometimes also because their parents are known. Suddenly, they have an abortion and that’s where things get complicated. Every country is different and sees things differently. I recently attended a meeting on Zoom and the women were furious that the United States wanted to ban abortion. It is a common practice which, moreover, has made it possible to reduce the rate of single mothers. Banning abortion would only drive these numbers up. ».

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