Sierra Leone: A Real Commitment to Women’s Lives – Pass the Safe Motherhood Bill

At least 29,000 women and girls globally die every year from complications from unsafe abortion. In Sierra Leone, out of the 150,000 unintended pregnancies that occur every year, 90,000 end in abortion. Out of these, 8 in 10 abortions end in complications or death. These aren’t just numbers. They are people, and their deaths are preventable.

Just as with many laws on gender equality and reproductive health across the African continent, Sierra Leone adopted its statutory legal framework from the…