Kenya bans Marie Stopes from offering abortions
Almost 500,000 abortions were conducted in Kenya in 2012 — mostly in backstreet clinics — with one in four women and girls suffering complications
Nairobi — Kenya has banned international charity Marie Stopes from offering abortion services to women and girls after complaints that it was promoting the termination of unwanted pregnancies, the government and charity officials said on Monday. Abortions are not permitted in Kenya unless a woman's life or health is in danger and emergency treatment is required. The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board said it had acted after the public, pro-life campaigners and the Kenya Film Classification Board complained that Marie Stopes radio adverts promoted abortions — a claim the charity denies. “Marie Stopes Kenya is hearby directed to immediately cease and desist offering any form of abortion services in all its facilities within the Republic of Kenya,” the Kenyan medical board said in a letter to Marie Stopes country director Dana Tilson dated November 14. The charity — which provides family planning, counselling, emergency abortions and post-abortion care to thousands of women...
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