Restrictive Abortion Legislation and Maternal Mortality: Case Study of Mityana and Kampala Districts

ABSTRACT Despite restrictive abortion legislation and all the efforts made by both the government and RHU in promoting family planning as a iii st step ~n r~du~ing unwanted pregnancies and the resulting abortions and mateiii~il n~nrtt~1it~, many ~ornen contirnie to seek and obtain unsafe abortions. Apart from causing death and other health complications, abortion has many undesired consequences to individual and the economy. Need was therefore seen to investigate a correlation, if any, between abortion and maternal mortality in Uganda. The study collected and analyzed both quantitative and qualitative data using descriptive and correlation study designs. The study population in two study areas (Kampala and Mityana districts) was divided into two categorier and both structured and unstructured questionnaires used to get data from them in addition to other methods discussed in the report. Thereafter a comparison was made of both qualitative findings and the findings of quantitative data as analyzed according to ihemadc areas Wind study objectives. Among the findingc nt’ ~1 e I dv th ~ I t~t ~t abarti ~n ~. ists because ot~ inter alia, failure in pregnancy prevention. Furthermore, the prc~ alence of abortion has a significant impact on the quality of health services. Several conclusions were made following the study which include that repressive abortion legislation does not prevent abortion and on the contrary it prevents safe abortion and turns abortion into a major killer of women. It was recommended, inter alia, that nct~ laws he enacted to allow abortion for reasons relating to the physical and mental health of the women, risk to their life or. health of the foetus, rape, or incest or to social, socio-medical or socio-economic conditions. Furthermore, there is need to educate the community on public health problem of u’isafe abortion, The education messages should rotate around the legal status of abortion and avoiding unsaib abortion, prevention of unwanted pregnancy and recognizing and seeking apropriate treatment for post abortion complications.