“The doctor told her that “it’s illegal and against my Christian faith to procure an abortion [… and] intimidated her with threats that he would inform the police of her case for her arrest”
Sabaire Violet was a disabled teenager- 18 years old- living in Bukavu. She was raped by members of the Mutebusi militia and found herself pregnant.
She went to Panzi hospital that rehabilitates victims of sexual violence to seek a safe abortion service. Unfortunately, the doctor told her that “it’s illegal and against my Christian faith to procure an abortion.” Violet stressed her inability to carry the pregnancy to term and care for a child without a legal father, but the doctor intimidated her with threats that he would inform the police of her case for her arrest.
Violet left the consultation room and went to a traditional practitioner who advised her to take toxic juice of cassava leaves and other wild roots. After taking this toxic solution, Violet started bleeding a lot. She was taken to the hospital where she disclosed all this reality before she died.
In DRC abortion is illegal. Laws does not make a explicit exception to practice abortion to save a woman’s life, but normally they should be interpreted to permit life-saving abortion on the ground of the general criminal law defense of “necessity”. (CRR, The world’s abortion law 2012” http://www.worldabortionlaws.com/map/)
ACTIVISTS’ REFLECTIONS
Bureau de Coordination Société Civile du Sud Kivu
We are in an area of…repetitive wars with all that…entails as consequences: mass rapes, unwanted pregnancies. This necessitates our advocacy work so that women victims of these atrocities actually have the right to express themselves in relation to their situation, whether their choice is in favour of abortion or keeping the pregnancy.
DEMAND ACCESS TO SAFE AND LEGAL ABORTION NOW!
(Image: http://wordsofchoice.blogspot.com)