Abortion figures were not inflated

Editor,In a letter published in this newspaper on May 25, the author claimed that a recent study on the number of abortions in Rwanda, conducted by the Guttmacher Institute and the University of Rwanda’s School of Public Health, inflated the number of abortions by counting miscarriages as induced abortions. That claim is entirely false and we would like to correct the record.The study found that approximately 60,000 induced abortions occur in Rwanda each year. This figure does not include miscarriages (also known as “spontaneous abortions”). The methodology used in conducting the study estimates the number of miscarriages separately (94,000 per year), and that number is not included in the estimate of induced abortion procedures. The methodology used in this study has been widely reviewed and is used by experts from leading international institutions, such as the World Health Organization and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. It is known to provide reliable estimates of the numbers and rate of induced abortion in countries where the procedure is highly legally restricted, and, therefore, clandestine and not openly recorded. The methodology has been applied in more than 20 countries in the decades since it was developed.Susheela SinghVice President of ResearchGuttmacher Institute Editor,I was both shocked and pleased to read in The New Times of yesterday, a story titled, “MPs to harmonise legislation abortion.” This is a debate which I thought had long ended. However, that it has resumed it is a clear indication that the issue of abortion is not only contentious but also very close to the hearts of many Rwandans. I do strongly believe that Rwanda should not legalise any form of abortion. Eventually we would end up legitimizing abortion because our society will somehow accept the phenomenon under the pretext of “exceptional cases”. In my personal opinion, I think it shouldn’t be accepted simply because it’s not right, morally and culturally. I fully sympathise with a mother who conceived under rape, incest or forced marriage, but why terminate the life of an innocent baby who did not play any single role in the whole saga? Our country has had to contend with so many difficult issues, including pardoning Genocide convicts. I fail to understand why some people are interested in the murder of innocent, unborn lives! Together we can say no to abortion, and protect the unborn child.Charles

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Abortion figures were not inflated