A CNN article titled, “In Lesotho, women are finding their abortions on Facebook” details the shocking account of a Basotho woman by the name of Mpho (not her real name) who purchases illegal abortion pills called “womb cleaning pills”. She turns to the popular social media platform Facebook and finds someone claiming to be a doctor.
The article exposes in graphic detail the disturbing and shocking account of how Mpho risked her life to meet her predator who in turn not only physically violated her during the procedure but extorts her for more money in her most vulnerable state. Tragically, the violation didn’t end there. The first procedure didn’t work forcing her to face the torment a second time.
In the country of Lesotho, abortion is illegal and any woman caught attempting to have an abortion will be arrested. Fearing arrest Mpho refused to seek medical attention even when she experienced excruciating pain and significant blood loss following the second procedure. After her traumatizing experience, Mpho began to fear for her future health, reflect on the emotional turmoil of her abortion, and now lives with the prospect of being found out and arrested.
In the article, Mpho is quoted as saying,
“Until you’re in that situation, you don’t know why people do things.”
The situation Mpho is referring to is the crisis of an unintended pregnancy. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 87 million women every year become pregnant unintentionally, of which 46 million end in an induced abortion. Of that number upwards of 18.4 million women access unsafe abortions.
For many women, unintended pregnancy is one of the most isolating, unsupported, and stigmatized seasons of their lives. In that short season, her focus is not whether abortion is legal or illegal, whether she’s pro-life or pro-choice, has a faith or not, or even whether she has little means or great means to pay for healthcare. The reality is no woman knows how she will respond to her unintended pregnancy until she’s personally faced with the social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and physical elements of her unique situation.
The “things” Mpho is referring to are the risks women in crisis will take to get back to their pre-pregnancy state. This includes but is not limited to the risk of accessing unsafe abortion practices, the risks in making this intense decision alone, the risk in having an abortion to save a relationship, the risk to their health (including the risk of not being able to have children in the future), the risk of maternal death, the risk of emotional trauma, or the risk of not consulting a trained medical professional. According to the WHO 68,000 women die every year from unsafe abortions, and abortions performed by untrained professionals. Hospital admissions for complications associated with unsafe abortions represent up to 50% of obstetric care.
Stopping this cycle starts with women no longer feeling they have to risk their own lives when faced with an unintended pregnancy. For some, the answer will mean giving more women free and equal access to safe abortion services. For ClearLinQ it means giving women something more, something that will truly increase their ability to make informed choices. This includes a proper decision-making framework, adequate professional support, accurate risk analysis, emotional support, values clarification, reliable medical information, and a judgment-free space to freely process an unintended pregnancy decision.
Reversing this cycle starts with criminalizing the predators, giving the victims a voice, destigmatizing the conversation, equipping medical professionals, increasing access to services, and women who won’t settle for anything less!
Marlene Caicco Co-founder/Vice-President
References
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/07/health/lesotho-abortions-asequals-intl/index.html
http://www.who.int/whr/2005/chapter3/en/index3.html