Lawmakers in Uganda have rejected a proposal by the government, seeking to allow 15-year-old girls to access birth control pills, an effort targeted at reducing high levels of pregnancy.
The idea is “devilish”, says Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa who noted that it would “formalise the defilement” of girls.
The “stigma” associated with young people using contraceptives should end, a top official of ministry of health insisted.
According to a survey, at least a quarter of girls between the ages of 15- to 19-year-old in Uganda are either pregnant or are already mothers.
During the Covid-19 lockdown when schools were shut for almost two years, the number of teenage pregnant women and young mothers increased, the survey indicates.
At a heated parliamentary debate on Tuesday, MP Lucy Akello questioned whether the age of consent was being lowered from the current 18 years to 15 years, the state-owned New Vision newspaper reported.
She described the proposal to offer contraceptives to 15-year-old girls as “scary”.
Ms Akello said she did not use contraceptives. “I use the natural method, the one God gave me.”
In her response to the debate, Primary Healthcare Minister Margaret Muhanga said the proposal had not been approved by the government but had been made by a senior medical officer, Dr Charles Olaro.
She asked if it was better for a child to get pregnant and then go on to die while giving birth, adding there was “so many teenage pregnancies”.
Dr Olaro told the privately owned Daily Monitor newspaper that access to reproductive health information was “not just a matter of choice; it is a matter of fundamental rights”.
“It is essential that we foster an environment where youth can access information on sexual and reproductive health and contraceptives for those in need without stigma, discrimination, or judgment,” Dr Olaro was quoted as saying.
However, the deputy speaker said the proposal “should never see the light of day”.
Uganda is a deeply religious society, and a group of religious leaders has also opposed the proposal, saying teenagers should just abstain from sex.
