Women's rights groups launched a campaign earlier this year to ensure that reproductive and sexual health care in Kenya is accessible, available, and affordable. Part of this campaign is the proposed Reproductive Health and Rights Bill 2008, which was drafted by the Kenyan chapter of the Federation of Women Lawyers and the Coalition On Violence Against Women. The bill addresses various reproductive health issues, including a push for easier access to abortions. It proposes, for instance, that a statement by a pregnant woman or any other proof that her pregnancy is due to sexual assault, rape, defilement or incest guarantee a legal abortion.

Arthur Okwemba, writing for the African Woman and Child Features Service, summarizes the abortion debate. He says:

“Abortion is still a hush-hush issue in Kenya. But despite laws, which restrict the termination of pregnancy, illegal abortion continues in this East African nation unabated. There are no easy answers to this emotive issue. On the one side, there are those who argue for the woman's right to choose to have a baby or not, while others, using religion as the base, argue for the rights of the fetus.”

Women's rights groups argue that access to abortion is a health issue too, since many women undergo unsafe abortions. Although accurate statistics are hard to obtain, since abortion is largely illegal, a national study showed that about 300,000 abortions are performed each year in Kenya, causing an estimated 20,000 women and girls to be hospitalized with related health complications. This translates into about 800 abortions a day and the death of 2,600 women every year. Another report estimates that more than 40 percent of Kenya’s maternal mortality rate is due to unsafe abortions.

To help protect women's health, morpheus revolutions points out that doctors sometimes take matters into their own hands.

“Kenyan doctors often take a very ‘liberal' approach to the interpretation of Kenya's restrictive abortion policy, with the knowledge that if they do not, women will be forced to conduct unsafe abortions that place their lives at higher risk.”

The kenyanobserver argues that the abortion law doesn’t make sense, and that it's been written mostly by and to protect men. He says:

“Kenya has one of the most restrictive abortion laws even as the rest of the world relaxes those laws yet abortion rates are increasing and becoming more dangerous as women take greater risks to complete their abortions. A visit to ward 1D in Kenya where women end after botched abortions is a sobering evidence of this. I’m sure that there are legitimate reasons for restricting abortion. The thing I don’t understand is the hypocrisy by the government on this issue given these sobering statistics. Did you know that a person found helping to complete an abortion in Kenya can be subject to capital punishment? What about the men who forcibly rape young girls, relatives and mentally retarded women all over the country?”

MUNGA, blogging on CONTROVERSIAL, says the solution is to legalize the procedure.

“Abortion in our country Kenya is a never ending story. First you have the police going after doctors who allegedly have performed the ‘vice' being imprisoned. However, the solution to the problem in my opinion is not to go after the doctor's, after all they are trying to get a sense of livelihood though through the wrong means. As such I would go for pro life and pro choice, let the ‘pregnant couple' decide what to do about their situation. This will only be possible if abortion is legalised in Kenya.”

However, other bloggers agree with Kenyan politicians and religious leaders who oppose a less restrictive abortion law. John Smeaton, blogging for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, says the bill should not be passed.

“The bill, if passed, will promote and allow easy access to abortion on demand, with virtually no safeguards to protect unborn children.

Under the subtle guise of ‘reproductive rights' language, the bill declares 'safe and accessible abortion-related care' as a reproductive right. Abortion can be permitted provided that ‘the continued pregnancy would pose a risk of injury to the woman’s physical or mental health.' This will, in effect, allow abortions on demand.”

Arthur Okwemba, writing for the African Woman and Child Features Service, warns that regardless of which side of the abortion debate Kenyans support, the issue has to be dealt with — it won't just go away.

“Recently the Kenyan press sensationalized, even using pictures, the death of 15 fetuses apparently due to illegal abortions. The public shrieked and public condemnation of abortion was rife. But this response will not discourage the young women, who saw no other choice open to them, from repeating the act again.”

Photo of Positive Pregnancy Test by Amber B McN on Flickr.

Currently the Yukpa Indians have taken over the ranches, and the landowners who live off meat and dairy production are unable to continue their work. This situation has been made more difficult due to military presence in the area which has caused a siege state, where the Indigenous groups are not allowed to walk freely on their lands or out of them and journalists are blocked from going inside the area to report of Human Rights abuses such as the alleged hiring of Colombian hit-men who have been targeting entire communities and who beat to death a 109 year old indigenous elder. Finally the Yukpa broke through the communication blocks, have gotten through to the media and have reached the community of Machique on August 26th 2008, and Hugo Chávez has declared that these lands should be given back and the indigenous community's rights should be respected. In the collective blog Voces Urgentes (Urgent Voices), they pose several questions regarding the future of this situation and its resolution:

Ahora bien ¿Por qué el cerco se rompe solo cuando Chávez se pronuncia? ¿Qué tuvo que pasar para que Chávez se enterara? ¿La represión, agresión y vulneración de los hermanos yukpa todo este tiempo no era suficiente? ¿Cuál ha sido la actuación de las autoridades ante las sucesivas demandas de los indígenas Yukpa? ¿Por qué la ministra del Poder Popular para los Asuntos Indígenas, Nicia Maldonado, recomendó a los Yukpa respetar la propiedad privada y hacer turismo en una zona aislada y árida? ¿Quiénes y con cuáles criterios se realizará el proceso de demarcación de las tierras indígenas?

So now, why is the blockage only broken when Chávez has spoken? What happened to clue Chavez into what was happening? The repression, aggression and veneration of the Yukpa brothers all through this time weren’t enough? What have been the actions of the authorities when faced with the constant demands of the Yukpa Indians? Why is the Popular Power for Indigenous Affairs minister, Nicia Maldonado, recommending that the Yukpa should respect private property and live of tourism in an isolated and arid area? By whom and with which criteria will the demarcation of indigenous lands take place?

The following video uploaded by coritoj is only one of dozens documenting the plight of this community and how it is just becoming known to the general public. In the video, they relate how one of the landowners told them that he could basically do what he wanted since every authority had been bribed already, and that he wasn't going to go to jail even if the went up to the President himself, because he had money to pay to get out:

This other video by ProyectoSuri shows a humanitarian caravan led by the ANMCLA organization trying to pass into Yukpa territory to deliver food and medication to the indigenous community, but they are blocked by military officers. Nevertheless, the same army that didn’t allow them to pass was perfectly willing to let a truck loaded with food for pigs to pass. The community organizations managed to convince the truck driver that it was unfair and unconstitutional to deliver food to animals when food for humans wasn't being let through, and he is shown to take the truck back from the picket line. Later in the video, the members of the Yukpa arrive at the border of the siege area and state that no army should control indigenous communities, but that they should be lead by community leaders chosen by them, and they should be able to invite people into their territories. However, the humanitarian caravan wasn't allowed to pass and deliver the food and medicines due to the army's intransigence on this point, several of them were injured, and 3 were arrested. Two days later, the president recognized the Yukpa Indian's rights to reclaim their lands.

Dozens of other videos on the subject can be viewed here. (Venezuelan Flag image by Guillermo Esteves)

Russia has formally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia today. Below are some of the initial reactions from LiveJournal's Cyrillic sector.

Russian LJ user sholademi (Samson Sholademi) writes (RUS):

[…] Now the most interesting part begins… P.S. The line has been crossed, sort of. Though, in the past two weeks, since the beginning of the war in Georgia, everything that Russia does, for the first time in several years, does not cause me to feel outraged and critical (despite my “love” for Putin & Co.). Quite the opposite: everything's been done correctly. Long live the isolation! Hm… And what do you think about the recognition of Abkhazia's and South Ossetia's independence?

A few comments:

lyks:

Isolation - that's a good point. Soon we'll be traveling withing clearly defined borders, right? Farewell, India, goodbye, America […]?

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schtv_girl:

I think that we can, at last, be proud of our country! Regardless of how controversial it all is, regardless of how much they are accusing us of double standards, we've become strong! Russia is coming back! Join the action! […]

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zenya_zenya:

…………..Couldn't care less……….Absolutely……..

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kirill_praha:

I think that those who live in Russia and wants to travel around the world, they should consider moving. Or getting a dual citizenship, which is difficult.

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sethnagh:

Great. Now a wide river of the money of the Russian tax-payers will flow to these new “brotherly republics,” damn it, to the stinking [Caucasus natives].

Georgian-Ukrainian LJ user vaxo (Vakhtang Kipiani) writes (UKR):

[…] You're a fool, Medvedev. Not a single normal country will support Russia. Now we'll see what a direct confrontation with the world is like.

A few comments:

yangel:

Such a scenario was to be expected (

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viebelle

I have an impression that for the past couple of weeks [they couldn't care less and were doing as they pleased]. As for [Medvedev], I don't think he played the lead part in this.

vaxo:

Right, but he was the one to sign this order. And legally, he is the one responsible for it.

[…]

yangel:

[…] At one point, Turkey unilaterally recognized the independence of Northern Cyprus - do you think that Turkey has spent all these years in international isolation?

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deniko76:

With so much oil, Russia can afford self-isolation. But I don't really understand why they should prefer isolation and being surrounded by “a circle of hatred” to normal friendly relationship with the neighbors.

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steel_archer:

Their oligarchs keep their money in Swiss banks, and their villas are in London. We'll see what kind of isolation it will be )))

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a_kulik:

There won't be any confrontation with the world. If there hadn't been Kosovo, there would've been a confrontation. But after Kosovo, everything will be OK for Russia. America has exchanged South Ossetia for Kosovo.

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ledilid:

And these people are not allowing others to recognize Kosovo… […]

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agrp_xtb:

Direct confrontation with whom? With small but proud Estonia? Do you still believe that there is “confrontation” between the United States and the Russian Federation? […]

Georgian LJ user djdrive (Misha Tavkhelidze) writes (RUS):

Looks like Putinodvedev has gone totally nuts. What are they pulling their country into?

1. War
2. Economic abyss
3. Disintegration

Russian, all of you who can, flee this country, while the curtain is still up! It'll be impossible to get a visa later.

One of the comments:

dimanklg:

Oh please. We are used to that.

Georgian-Russian LJ user som writes (RUS):

“Russia, you've gone nuts” (c)

I remember our answer to the civil defense teacher's question: What should you do if you see the nuclear mushroom at the horizon? - Pull a white bed sheet over your head and crawl to the cemetery.

Looks like the idiots believe that it's possible to win WWIII.

During the Caribbean Crisis, Kennedy and Khrushchev had enough of common sense to stop 20 minutes before the catastrophe. Will these ones have it, too? I don't really want to check.

Some of the comments:

psa_98:

Your lovely country (and especially two of its regions [Abkhazia and South Ossetia], whose population is smaller than Butovo [one of Moscow's districts]) aren't really worth a nuclear mushroom. I think that the Russian Federation is wrong in this conflict, but Saakashvili (and his curators from the State Department) have to be blamed equally - they've lost the game, too.

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piligrim:

[…] Do you really think that Georgia is enough of a reason for the United States and NATO to start WWIII?

luarvique:

Well, Prince Ferdinand and Serbia were much of a reason, either…

a_gru:

And are you sure that only Americans and NATO states can start a war? Is there really no one but them out there?

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pindle:

[…] I think Europe will thank us - quietly, of course. We've closed the situation, created a new, long-term and stable status quo, which is a lot more convenient for Europe than the previous one. […]

LJ user physik_alfa writes (RUS) in the ru_politics LJ community:

Personally, I pity Abkhazia. They've been basically equaled with the thieves from South Ossetia. They could've been flourishing on tourism… Slowly, perhaps, but on their own and without blood. And now Kremlin [thugs] will seize everything for themselves there.

A few comments:

vyacha:

The Abkhaz aren't that naive when it comes to foreign investments. According to their laws, a foreign (including Russian) company cannot independently get involved in, say, construction there, can't even open a branch […] office there. What's possible, though, are 50/50 investments with an Abkhaz [individual or company] […]. I don't think anything will change much now. They know how to count their own money.

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afx237_v7:

I was [in Abkhazia] a couple years ago and learned a lot of interesting things. Turns out many touristic objects […] have already been bought (rented for 50 years, since the Abkhaz constitution does not allow to sell land to foreigners) by the Moscow guys.

LJ user dmitrivrubel has posted a graph illustrating what happened to the Russian stocks after Dmitry Medvedev made his Abkhazia and South Ossetia announcement at 3 PM Moscow time today:

LJ user onkel_hans commented (RUS):

In countries where economy rules, things like this lead to the fall of the government.