Police in the Kiira region have arrested a 15-year-old girl, a resident of Budondo Ward, in the Northern Division of Jinja City, for procuring an abortion.
The juvenile suspect, who is currently detained at Budondo Police Station, had reportedly been carrying a seven-month pregnancy of twins.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect was convinced by her peers that giving birth to two children at a young age might lead to death. This information led her to undergo an abortion.
According to the suspect’s account recorded by the police, she said that she went for antenatal care at Kyomya Health Center II with one of her friends, only identified as Maureen.
The midwife asked her to return for a further checkup next month, but on the way back, Maureen gave her a concoction, which she drank to abort the twins. She collapsed and was rushed back to Kyomya Health Center II, where she prematurely delivered the twins, both dead.
A medical scan confirmed that the pregnancy had been terminated. The suspect initially claimed that the babies’ remains were dumped in a pit latrine at Kyomya Health Center II. However, after a police investigation, no evidence of human remains was found. Upon further questioning, the suspect revised her statement, alleging that the bodies were buried in a nearby sugarcane plantation.
Maureen and two other individuals who allegedly aided her in illegally procuring the abortion are currently on the run, but police have intensified the hunt for them.
The suspect’s mother revealed that her daughter dropped out of school in Primary Six due to constant ridicule from classmates over her pregnancy.
