By: Audrey Raymonda John
The Speaker in the Sixth Parliament Hon. Sengepoh Solomon Thomas has committed the bill entitled “Safe motherhood and reproductive healthcare Act of 2024 at the Legislative Committee, as it needs consultative dialogue with the relevant stakeholders.
Some of the stakeholders including religious leaders and traditional rulers for full participation and to be involved in a consultative dialogue regarding the bill.
After the bill being read by Dr. Jalikatu Mustapha in the well on Tuesday 17 Decembers, 2024, it was committed to the Legislative Committee for proper scrutinizing.
According to Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas suspended the debate on the bill and committed to what he described special session of the legislative committee for participation and consultation of stakeholders.
Hon. Thomas reminded MPs that their duty as the people’s representatives is to represent them and admonished to be free from personal biases.
He further cautioned not allowed feelings to influence their decision making, especially when it comes to representing the people of Sierra Leone, in the well of Parliament.
The Deputy Minister highlighted the role of the Ministry of Health including to ensure safe reproductive health services across the country of women and girls.
According to her, the Ministry is trying and ensured that every pregnancy is wanted, safely care for in the safe delivery of the mother and the child, adding that the bill would provide for all those services during the pregnancy.
The Deputy Minister Madam Mustapha maintained that the bill speaks towards women safety especially in pregnancy
She said the ministry provided counselling and support services to those woman and girl and do everything possible to encourage them to keep the child.
Minister Jalikatu Mustapha drawn the attention of the Speaker that the country’s maternal mortality rate has contributed one of the significance contributions, is unsafe terminations of pregnancy, ongoing in Sierra Leone.
Despite the current law, she said on average in Sierra Leone ‘’We have over 90,000 women choosing to terminate pregnancy every year as a result of the high rate of unwanted issues uncovered.” Madam Minister said.
In an interview with women who were at Parliament, a number of them revealed that this bill will provide comprehensive reproductive care for women, adding that the bill will reduce pregnancy related death and will also reduce teenage pregnancy.
In further interviews the women who were in support further that the bill will reduce unsafe abortions and will ensure that any termination of pregnancy that will occur will be done by a trained and certified medical practitioner in a regulated and safe way.
They that this pass if pass in Parliament will increase access to reproductive health services and it will narrow the gap between the rich and the poor.
This bill they further that will Increase accountability for all stakeholders involved in the healthcare system and will Guarantees free medical care for pregnant women, children and lactating mothers.
Also having interviews with men who were in support of this bill stated that the bill will guarantees access to reproductive health for everyone.
Also some during the interview said the fact why we need the Safe Motherhood Bill is that it will help to reduce teenage pregnancy accounts for14% of maternal deaths in the country as 1 in 3 girls are getting pregnant before their age 19.
Some stated that everyday they lose 3-4 women as a result of pregnancy complications and 25% of women in Sierra Leone lack access to family planning services and also there are 150,000 unwanted pregnancies in Sierra Leone a year, and 90,000 end up terminating the pregnancy, 80% of those 90,000 end with severe complications or death from unsafe abortions.
