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IN CAMEROON, THE SITUATION FOR women is bleak: only 29 percent of sexually active women are using contraceptives and just 32 percent of young women have a comprehensive knowledge of how to prevent the spread of hiv. As prevention options are slim, it is not surprising that 35 percent of reported pregnancies in Cameroon end in abortion, a great majority of these performed using unsafe methods. One in 24 Cameroonian women risks maternal mortality during her lifetime.
While the law in Cameroon permits abortion in the cases of rape or if the woman's health is in danger, abortion services are still widely inaccessible and women who seek out the option are often stigmatized.
As evidenced in Pope Benedict's recent trip to the country (in which he made the now-infamous remarks denouncing condom use as a means of preventing the transmission of hiv), Cameroon has a burgeoning Catholic population. More than a quarter, 26.7 percent, of Cameroon's population identifies as Catholic.
The Catholic church in Cameroon maintains 28 hospitals and nearly 235 clinics. According to an interview conducted with a physician at a Catholic hospital, contraceptives are not accessible and abortion and emergency contraception are not provided, even in cases of rape. In cases where the rape victim is unwilling to continue the pregnancy, the victim is advised to continue the pregnancy and upon giving birth, place the child in the care of one of the 15 Catholic orphanages.
As some Catholics in Cameroon try to adhere to the church hierarchy's mandates on sexual and reproductive health and rights, the potential impact of the hierarchy is great. Thankfully, the Cameroonian government...