Married women in Kenya account for the highest number of induced abortion cases, according to an African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) report.
The study done in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Guttmacher Institute revealed that induced abortions remain a common experience for Kenyan women, with an estimated 792,694 abortions in 2023.
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This translates to 57 per 1,000 women of reproductive age (15–49 years).
The report titled “Incidence of Induced Abortions and the Severity of Abortions Related Complications in Kenya”, shows that 78.6 per cent of the estimated 792,694 induced abortions occurred among married women.
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This means that out of 3,710 women treated for abortion related complications in Kenyan health facilities in 2023, 2,643 were married.
16.6 per cent among these are never-married women, while 4.8 per cent are those who are divorced, separated, or widowed.
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Further data reveals that the vast majority of women procuring abortions in Kenya identify as Christians, accounting for approximately 90.9 per cent of all cases, while Muslim women represent 9.1 per cent.
From the data, 3,028 were Christian and 303 were Muslim.
Women aged 24 to 34 accounted for the largest share of abortions (41.8 per cent), followed by those over 35 (15.6 per cent) and adolescents under 20 (13.6 per cent).
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Why Married Women are Terminating Pregnancy
The report further showed that about two-thirds (65.6 per cent) of the women had previously given birth, while 29 per cent had more than three pregnancies in their lifetime.
“What this means is that there are pressures of society around women and their families wanting fewer children,” senior researcher at APHRC Kenneth Juma said.
According to Juma, most married women decide to terminate a pregnancy due to economic factors or in pursuit of their careers.
“There are a lot of reasons, many of them are demographic and a lot of them also social and cultural, some are economic, around people wanting smaller families, people wanting to delay the occurrence of pregnancies and a variety of other reasons,” he said.
While there’s been a notable decline in unintended pregnancies, over half still end in abortion.
Kenneth Juma debunked the myth that induced abortions are mostly sought by adolescents and unmarried women.
“A big chunk of women in marriage are also seeking abortion. Most get pregnant but they do not want a child. This is coupled with hard economic times and career. Some also terminate pregnancies because they want to delay giving birth or child spacing,” said Juma during release of the report.
“About 65.6 per cent had previously given birth, and 29.1 percent had four or more pregnancies in their lifetime,” reads a section of the study finding.
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Report Reveals Methods Used in Procuring Abortion
In the study, respective methods were used to procure abortions, among them Manual vacuum aspiration, medication abortion, traditional method where women use herbs, teas and massage.
Harmful methods were also used namely inserting a sharp object in the vagina, drinking caustic substance and non-recommended dose, or use of unknown and other pills.
Some women also opted for non-harmful methods like coca cola, alcohol and concentrated juice.
At the same time, more women are now seeking timely post-abortion care (PAC), especially for mild complications, and doing so at public and lower-level health facilities.
But serious gaps remain, less than 20% of primary healthcare facilities meet the basic standards for comprehensive PAC services.
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