East Africa Centre for Law & Justice Update: Kenya’s Constitution
Kenya’s Committee of Experts (COE) has done it again. The COE reinserted provisions that leave the door open for abortion, by indicating it may be done if a health care professional deems it necessary. It does not clarify what class of health care professional, so it could be a nurse, doctor, clinical officer, public health inspector, medical student -- anyone. This is a very dangerous trend since it is subjective and unregulated. All one needs is a health care professional to even say something abstract -- like the mother’s mental health was threatened, or she was unable to cope with motherhood -- and they would be justified in carrying out the abortion.
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Kenya’s Committee of Experts (COE) has done it again. The COE reinserted provisions that leave the door open for abortion, by indicating it may be done if a health care professional deems it necessary. It does not clarify what class of health care professional, so it could be a nurse, doctor, clinical officer, public health inspector, medical student -- anyone. This is a very dangerous trend since it is subjective and unregulated. All one needs is a health care professional to even say something abstract -- like the mother’s mental health was threatened, or she was unable to cope with motherhood -- and they would be justified in carrying out the abortion.
More...