Editor,

RE: "Civil society welcomes presidential pardon of abortion convicts” (The New Times, December 12).

Health Development Initiative-Rwanda (HDI) would like to thank President Paul Kagame for the decision he took to pardon 62 women and girls convicted for abortion. We are grateful for having a President who is at the forefront of securing women’s rights, of which this is another example.

We would also like to thank Justice minister Johnston Busingye for acknowledging that, in many cases, women and girls take the decision to have an illegal, often unsafe, abortion while knowing it is potentially life-threatening.

HDI works with partners in Government and civil society to ensure that all women and girls, men and boys can exercise their right to health, including sexual and reproductive health. It has been estimated that around 300-400 Rwandan women and girls die each year as a result of unsafe abortion.

Some of these women and girls would have been entitled to safe abortion services under Rwandan law, but could not exercise this right due to the lengthy (and costly) legal procedures. HDI, therefore, welcomes the proposal by the Rwandan Law Reform Commission (RLRC) to ease the approval process for abortion.

Human rights and equality between men and women are deeply embedded in our Rwandan culture and lie at the heart of our Constitution. HDI and other civil society organisations, who are Pro-Choice (not "Pro-Abortion” as the writer put it), acknowledge that every woman has the right to choose or determine what happens to her body and decide if, when and how to have a child.

This right is included in the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Right and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (known as ‘the Maputo Protocol).

Both documents have been ratified by the Government of Rwanda. As such, enabling women and girls to exercise their rights provided by Rwandan law does not go against our culture.

A number of civil society organisations, including HDI, are advocating for an amendment of the law to increase access to safe and legal abortion. HDI looks forward to continue working with government, civil society and the media to help secure this.

Toni Martinez,

Communications Officer at Health Development Initiative