THE criminalisation of abortion has been linked to the increasing phenomenon of infanticide and baby dumping. This makes it an urgent priority for the government to reassess its policy, ensuring that the right to life of all women is protected, a United Nations report, which will be presented at the 23rd Session of the Human Rights Council today states.
The United Nation's Special Rapporteur on 'Extreme Poverty and Human Rights' in Namibia by Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona states that considering that complications of abortion is the second most important cause (20.7%) of maternal mortality, the limited legalisation of abortion and the complicated administrative process for obtaining approval for abortion are "extremely concerning", particularly as this disproportionately affects poor women.
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