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    "id": 554330,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/554330/?format=api",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, one of the things that this Bill brings forward is the fact that, in exercising their rights, women should do so under some legal framework. Left outside the legal framework, we will quite likely have a wanton interruption with life which is, itself, also destructive. The Bill is about reproductive healthcare in general; we should put some things in place to ensure that reproductive health care is well looked after in our laws and nation. When I was the Minister for Medical Services, one of the things that we discussed was the issue of having a health law that would encompass all aspects of health including reproductive health. That is one of the reasons why in the Constitution, it is said that health care insurance, which not only covers inpatient and outpatient, but also covers reproductive health should be put in place. One of the reasons why there has been what I call the “unwarranted” interruption with life for expectant mothers is because some of our young women do not have access to reproductive health care facilities, for example, contraceptives. When we talk about contraceptives, we do not mean that when people use contraceptives, then they become immoral. We mean that contraceptives help us have responsible reproductive health, responsible motherhood and safe motherhood. We should not bury our heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich and pretend. Young women or young girls at times have children out wedlock or even before marriage. Therefore, the only two ways you can help such mothers either have children responsibly who can be taken care of or avoid doing so is by addressing the issue of reproductive health. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Part IX of this Bill talks about reproductive health of adolescents. Two important issues that this Bill addresses are to make sure that adolescents are aware of their reproductive health responsibilities and the reproductive health services that are available to them. This means that in Government as well as in The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}