This week has been marred by reports surrounding the controversial bill on reproductive health, especially on the proposed article to have teenage girls as young as 15 years have access to contraception as a way to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The amendments of the legislation are contained in a private members’ bill which was presented to the parliamentary plenary by a group of five members of the lower chamber of parliament. This bill was however struck down by parliament, after a majority of the House voted to put it on hold and instead called for more consultations of different stakeholders to get their views on the subject matter before it can be brought back for a second round of vote. This is a bold and quite welcome decision by the legislators. There are so many questions that should be answered and we believe these should be part of the broader consultations that were asked for by the parliamentarians. It is true the country is faced with a big number of teenage girls who are being impregnated, and which ends up affecting their future, because many of them have to drop out of school to take care of their babies. We also believe this is the spirit that guided the sponsors of the legislation. However, did the good legislators consider those that impregnate these teenagers? Is it their peers or older men? In suggesting contraception for girls, have they considered condoms for the boys? Short of these answers, we are once again running a risk of placing a heavy burden on the girls who oftentimes have little power in relationships, especially when it comes to older men, who according to available figures form the majority of such perpetrators. As a community, we must therefore have an honest conversation on this before we assent to a law that will end up setting us back on the gains made towards empowering the girl child.
