KENYA reproductive health laws are failing young people.
The demand for parental consent before adolescents can access sexual and reproductive health services is both unrealistic and harmful.
It denies them vital information and care, pushing them further into the shadows.
A coalition of human rights groups has flagged this issue ahead of Kenya’s Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations.
They argue that laws like the National Reproductive Health Policy 2022-2032 unfairly bar those under 21 from critical services.
This burden hits marginalised groups hardest.
Teenage sex workers, those who inject drugs, LGBTQ youth and others face stigma, harassment and criminalisation when seeking care.
For some, the requirement for parental consent is a death sentence. Data supports the urgency.
According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, 15 per cent of girls aged 15–19 have been pregnant.
Yet, many remain locked out of essential reproductive health services. Critics argue that eliminating parental consent would corrupt morals. But denying health services doesn’t uphold morals, it endangers lives.
We need bold reforms to make sexual and reproductive health services accessible to all adolescents without unnecessary hurdles. Let’s replace outdated policies with ones rooted in compassion, science and human rights.
Quote of the day: “If one is going to err,
one should err on the side of liberty and
freedom.” — Ghanaian diplomat and seventh
UN secretary general Kofi Annan was born on
April 8, 1938
