Understanding the Mental Health Indication for Legal Abortion

The Center’s fact sheet discusses the mental health
indication for legal abortion in Kenya in light of the country’s new
Constitution. The 2010 Constitution explicitly permits abortion when “in the
opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency
treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in danger, or if permitted by
any other written law.” As such, under the new Kenyan Constitution, women have
the right to access safe and legal abortion where the pregnancy presents a
danger to their mental and physical well-being.