32-year-old aborts 7 months pregnancy

By Nancy Atim X

(@nancyatim6)

Locals of Angwet -Angwet A cell woke up to shock on Wednesday 21st/2/2023 following an incident where a 32 year old woman terminated a seven months old pregnancy. 

The suspect Sarah Angom, a resident of Angwet -Angwet A cell, Angwet -Angwet ward, Lira city East division allegedly committed the crime on Wednesday 21 at around 6:30pm.

Speaking to the Vice chairperson of Angwet -Angwet A cell, John Opota confirmed the sad incident citing that he got the sad news from a community member.

"I got a call from a community member while I was at a burial event noting that one of tenant of Mzee Okol seemed to have aborted her pregnancy upon discovering blood stains on the latrine floor", said Opota.

Upon the said allegations, Opota says he immediately informed OC Angwet -Angwet police post who later reported to the crime scene and apprehended the suspect.

According to Opota, the OC, Fire brigade and rescue team reported to the crime scene on Wednesday 21, recorded statements and removed the fetus from the pit latrin.

"I informed police at Angwet -Angwet who later came along with Fire brigade and rescue team. They excavated the latrine and removed the fetus", he said.

"By 10am on Wednesday morning, the police and rescue team removed the fetus from the pit latrin and it was discovered that it was a baby girl", he added.

Mr. Opota now warned the community especially the female gender to desist from abortion since it is illegal in Uganda thereby calling upon the women to embrace birth control methods inorder to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

"Learn to embrace the gift of motherhood because it is dangerous to commit abortion. It can either lead to the death of the mother.", he noted.

Locals have now strongly condemned Angom's act noting that it is a big shame to humanity.

Mrs. Florence Esalu Bosco, a resident of the same village condemned the act, and urged women and girls of child bearing age to utilise family planning methods of their choice other than getting unwanted pregnancies.

"If you know you are not ready to get pregnant for a man, then use a suitable family planning method. We should be lucky that the government of Uganda approved the use of birth control methods", said Mrs. Esalu 

"Instead of killing an innocent soul, use a preferred birth control method because once you get into a relationship, you are bound to conceive and have a child", she added.

She further called upon older persons to always counsel and guide the young women as well as sensitising them of the dangers associated with abortion citing that abortion cases were hardly recorded in the past unlike in the present where the your girls see it as a normal act.

Once given the right to life, Mrs. Esalu says the girlchild would have been an important figure in development. 

Meanwhile, another resident identified as Phillips Ivan Egor who also confirmed the evil act says for long, the suspect has been denying being pregnant citing that she is only looking good. 

"A fellow tenant in the same block identified her on Wednesday morning looking pale while standing at the pit latrine.", he said.

Egor narrates that Sarah was immediately picked from her house by OC Angwet -Angwet police post and put under custody upon discovering blood stains at the said pit latrin floor.

He described the suspect's act as ashaming noting that Angom at 32, blessed with older children can bring about bad luck since she is no longer a teenager.

It is upon this background that Egor called upon landlords to take interest in knowing the kind of persons they host to avoid such issues in the community. 

"If you are not ready to bear a child, then use any family planning method that suits you instead of ending life of an innocent baby.", he noted. 

Meanwhile, Ceasar Ivan Okello, the Deputy spokesperson of Otengoro Olang clan strongly condemned Sarah's act. Sarah Angom belongs to the Otengoro Olang clan under the stewardship of Daniel Omara Atubo.

"I want to advise women under Otengoro Olang clan to desist from abortion. If you are not ready to take care of children, then don't enter any relationship or else use contraceptive methods", said Okello. 

According to Okello, abortion is illegal in Uganda noting that women who abort and later throw the fetus in pit latrines violates God commandment.

He further advised women to produce a manageable number of children instead of conceiving and later aborting the pregnancy.

Okello notes that this denies the innocent soul life.