Conscience’s “Africa Calling” issue (Vol. XXXV No. 1) shines a bright light on the significant obstacles African women face in obtaining reproductive healthcare—but reforming laws that restrict access is only part of the solution. In countries where conservative religious beliefs and cultural norms are pervasive, the laws themselves are frequently misinterpreted and misapplied, and quality health services are out of reach for many.

Kenya’s and Uganda’s laws, for example, permit abortion to preserve a woman’s life, her mental and physical health and in cases of sexual violence. But even for women who fall into those narrow circumstances, in practice, abortion care is very hard to obtain.

As noted in Joke van Kampen’s article “A Morality Tale,” Kenya’s abortion law was amended as a result of the new constitution introduced in 2010. Yet doctors continue to deny women safe and legal abortion—forcing Kenyan women to still rely on clandestine alternatives, with roughly 120,000 seeking care for complications resulting from unsafe abortions in 2012. This is, in large part, due to the Catholic hierarchy’s efforts to misinform the public about the country’s abortion laws, as well as the Kenyan government’s failure to adopt health standards that give medical practitioners the guidelines they need to provide safe abortion and other reproductive health services.

Similarly, Uganda’s abortion laws are confusing, and trying to get a copy of the country’s sexual and reproductive health guidelines is practically impossible—leaving healthcare providers with little to no knowledge of when abortions are legal. That’s why every year nearly 85,000 Ugandan women still need treatment after having unsafe abortions.

Women must be able to control their fertility. Their health, their lives and their ability to participate fully and equally in society depend on it. This is why our efforts to ensure women’s access to a full range of reproductive healthcare services, including abortion, cannot just be limited to reforming laws on the books. We must ensure these reforms become a reality for women. Otherwise, we have failed them.

EVELYNE OPONDO
Regional Director for Africa, Center for Reproductive Rights
Nairobi, Kenya