Most abortions now blamed on amorous old men

Older philandering men are a major cause of unsafe abortions among young girls in Central Province.

A study by researchers from Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya found that although older men were responsible for unwanted pregnancies among young girls, they also threatened to kill their daughters who got children out of wedlock.

The study published in October, was carried out by researchers from the universities of Uyo and Witwatersrand in Nigeria and South Africa, respectively, and the Nairobi-based African Population and Health Research Centre.

Titled Men, Women and Abortion in Central Kenya: A Study of Lay Narratives, the findings were published in the Medical Anthropology journal.

One of the respondents, only identified as Samuel, told the researchers: “A young girl may be afraid of the father, who is very harsh... always threatening saying ‘if you bring a child here I will kill you.’

“So when she gets pregnant she goes for abortion.”

The study, which was carried out among men and women in Nyeri District, cites the economic burden of bringing up a fatherless child and becoming ineligible for marriage among young girls as the major reasons for abortion.

In the study, women did not advocate or defend abortion, but neither did they condemn it.

Rather, “they recognise it as a strategy for managing the risks of socially unviable motherhood.”

Socially unviable

The men, on the other hand, condemned abortion, viewing it as women’s immoral strategy of concealing their waywardness, unfaithfulness, and promiscuity.

Most of the participating men said the practice was usually carried out behind their backs.

However, the women disputed the view that they hide their abortions from men because it is immoral.

To them, the decision to seek abortions was not only legitimately theirs, but also one that men need not necessarily be informed about.

Unlike similar studies which are mostly academic discourses, this one seeks lay narratives from the man on the street and brings out a male who sees cruelty in the act, but fails to take responsibility for his role in it.

But both men and women of Nyeri agree on one thing — abortion is prevalent, carried out dangerously, and that demand for it will continue to rise.

The authors suggest that Kenyan women will continue to resort to induced abortion, not simply as a form of protection against shame, but primarily as a shield against poverty and loss of economic and marital viability.

“We also note that Kenyan women seeking abortion will likely continue to rely on cheap and poor quality services — those are not only much easier to obtain without involving men but are also much more affordable than the services of qualified personnel.”

Safe abortion

Not surprisingly, the researchers found most participants to be aware that safe abortion services in Kenya exist but the illegality of the action encourages qualified providers to charge exorbitantly, pushing the poor to back street operators.