A case for a Safe Motherhood & Reproductive Health (SMRH) Law in Sierra Leone Posted on 21/02/2023 (22/02/2023) by Allan Musumba PUBLICATIONS RESOURCES // PUBLICATIONS policy brief A case for a Safe Motherhood & Reproductive Health (SMRH) Law in Sierra Leone Health and Systems for Health February 2023 Unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with about 10% of deaths due to unsafe abortion. Many women in Sierra Leone have an unmet need for modern contraception, and the country’s restrictive abortion laws have caused many to resort to clandestine and unsafe abortions. The lack of access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, coupled with a shortage of trained medical personnel, has worsened the situation. The Safe Motherhood & Reproductive Health Bill is being developed to enable greater access to SRH information and services, which will provide women with the means to make informed choices about their reproductive health and reduce the risk of unsafe abortions. Download CONTRIBUTORS Advocacy Manager Jane Valentine Mangwana Jane is a global policy advocacy and communications expert with… View Profile SIMILAR PUBLICATIONS Journal Articles Women’s autonomy and reproductive health-care-seeking behavior in Ethiopia Journal Articles Women’s attitudes and beliefs towards specific contraceptive methods in Bangladesh and Kenya Briefing Papers Why do some men and women never test for HIV? Insights from Demographic and Health Surveys in Zambia and Lesotho General Who are the missing men? Characterizing men who have never tested for HIV from population-based surveys in six sub-Saharan African countries Technical Reports Voices for action: A report of community engagement on vulnerability and solutions to food and nutrition insecurity maasai community, Kajiado, Kenya* General Voices for action Journal Articles Vitamin a supplementation and stunting levels among two year olds in kenya: evidence from the 2008-09 kenya demographic and health survey* Journal Articles Use of anchoring vignettes to evaluate health reporting behavior amongst adults aged 50 years and above in africa and asia testing assumptions* policy brief Unsafe abortion as a risk factor for maternal mortality in Liberia