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{
    "id": 554341,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/554341/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 278,
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    "content": "this country also would go to a large extent in convincing funders to fund our programmes, so that we are able to support and assist the Beyond Zero Campaign, to try and reduce the maternal mortality in this country. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, what worries me is Chapter 5 which deals with abortion or termination of a pregnancy. I think this is going to be the most difficult bit of this Bill, to convince Kenyans of various faiths and beliefs. This is an area that we will need to work on. Sen. Sijeny, who is a lawyer, is capable of working around this, to make sure that this chapter to do with abortion is taken care of and is convincing to all faiths. It is very clear that to date, because of the unsafe abortions which are being carried out in unsafe environments and with no proper legislations to follow; we are losing a lot of women. I can see the figures that have been quoted here, given by the African Population and Research Centre. About 1,200 women die annually because they carried out an abortion which was not legalized to make it acceptable. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this is an area that I think we need to make serious amendments to this Bill so that it is acceptable. I am sure that we are working in a country that is religious with people who hold very firmly certain beliefs, that for whatever reasons, the price of losing that many women is enough to justify the faith that they have. We should overcome this and look at it in terms of making sure that we have the legislation that can permit this properly; that abortions can be carried out by defining very well who is eligible to make the final decision to terminate a pregnancy. There must sufficient reasons that will be accepted across the board by almost all the persons who are concerned or involved in the issue. Secondly, we should look at the penalties of those who will go against the regulations that have been set to follow this. We should make penalties that are deterrent for all those involved and the ones who carry the pregnancy and are willing to terminate it without necessarily following the laid down procedure. I think that with some amendments, that can be made on the chapter on abortion. This is a very useful Bill that is not only going to address directly the safety concerns, but the health challenges that are associated with reproductive health. There are also very big issues on HIV and many other issues that are related entirely with the whole area of sexuality in this Bill. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I support this Bill and will suggest some amendments that will improve it. This Bill will go a long way in utilizing the technology to solve some of the very difficult cases of childlessness in this county. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to support."
}