IRIN examines access to reproductive health care in Uganda

"Boosting women's access to reproductive health care could significantly reduce both the number of unsafe abortions and the high cost of post-abortion medical care in Uganda, experts say," IRIN reports. "Although there are few studies on the subject, experts estimate that some 297,000 abortions are performed annually, with 85,000 women treated for complications," the news service writes, adding, "A recent brief by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health think tank, and [the Kampala-based Centre for Human Rights and Development (CEHURD)] estimates that post-abortion care costs nearly $130 per patient." The news service discusses Uganda's abortion laws, noting "[a] 2012 Technical Guide to Understanding the Legal and Policy Framework on Termination of Pregnancy in Uganda [.pdf], by the U.S.-based Center for Reproductive Rights, found the country's abortion laws to be 'inconsistent, unclear and often contradictory,'" and highlights the country's "unmet need for family planning," which "stands at 34.3 percent, according to the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)" (2/25).