IN LIGHT of concerns by health officials about the impact of illegal abortions on the country's maternal mortality rate, a committee has been established by the Health Ministry to probe the issue.
The committee, which has already begun consultations with various medical practitioners, is chaired by Dr. Wynante Patterson, a gynaecologist. It is expected to present its findings to Health Minister John Junor in another two months.
Information out of the ministry indicates that in 2002, as many as 16 per cent of maternal deaths were related to unsafe abortions.
The 2002 Reproductive Health Survey also revealed that 30 per cent of adolescent maternal deaths were due to intentional termination of pregnancies.
Mr. Junor noted that there were concerns about the number of deaths associated with illegal abortions.
"The objective is to reduce the number of backroom abortions which take place and deaths resulting from sepsis. There is great concern that the number of these procedures endanger the lives of many people," he said.
HYPERTENSIVE DISEASE
Another major cause of maternal deaths is hypertensive disease. However, while there has been a decline in the incidence of deaths due to this condition in the past four years, other indirect causes such as HIV/AIDS, violence, obesity and cardiac disease are said to be on the increase.
The Health Minister said that the current legislation governing abortions is among the issues being looked at by the committee. Abortion is illegal in Jamaica under the Offences Against the Person Act. Currently the country's abortion policy only allows for the procedure to be carried out in specific situations, such as where the mother's physical or mental health is threatened.
CONSENT MUST BE APPROVED
In addition, the spouse's consent and the approval of two specialists must be obtained before the procedure is performed.
The issue of abortion was among those discussed at the Health Ministry's Safe Motherhood Conference which ended earlier this week at the Hilton Kingston Hotel.
The conference, which involved representatives from various international and regional health agencies was, among other things, geared towards achieving a reduction in Jamaica's maternal mortality rate in keeping with the Millennium Development Goals.
According to the Health Minister, the country's maternal mortality rate has remained constant for the past 20 years, at 106 per 100,000 live births. The Millennium Development Goal is aimed at achieving a maternal mortality rate of 25 to 26 per 100,000 live births by 2015.
