Editor,

Allow me to add my voice to the ongoing debate on whether to legalise abortion or not.

Abortion should be legalised to stop it from being carrying out covertly.

There is no problem having a law which permits abortion if for example the expectant mother has a genetic deficiency or there is need to preserve the mother’s health.

Abortion was first introduced in developed countries, including United States and several other European countries long ago, and the process is now less invasive and painful.

For example in Italy, drug regulation agency,  Italian Pharmaceuticals Agency, approved the use of the abortion pill RU486, also known as mifepristone, which allows the patient to have a chemically induced abortion instead of a surgical procedure within the first seven weeks of pregnancy.

For years, I have done individual research on children abandoned by their mothers and taken to different child care centres.

I have not seen a single mother claiming back her child. In such a scenario, it might be time to pause and reflect on what value the current law criminalising abortion helps.

Jeanne Mukankusi
Kigali