Namibian women protest forced sterilisation. (Photo Courtesy New Era)

THE Namibia Planned Parenthood Association (Nappa) has spoken out against the forced or coerced sterilisation of women, and has called for respect of women's rights to health, including sexual reproductive health.

In a press release issued yesterday, Nappa underlined the importance of "informed decision-making and consent when permanent procedures such as sterilisation are being performed", noting that the right to sexual reproductive health includes "the right to control their fertility, the right to decide whether to have children, the number of children, and their spacing of children".

The Association's stance comes in response to recent allegations by HIV-positive women who claim they were sterilised against their will by State health facilities, which discriminated against them on the basis of their health status. Fifteen of these women have taken the Government to court, with the case set to start next month.

Nappa said forced sterilisation was a direct violation of various conventions that Namibia has signed, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Women Protocol.

The Association also said that informed consent "is not merely saying 'yes' to a procedure or appending a 'signature' to a form", but also involved explaining the procedure in the woman's language of choice, as well as the need for medical professionals to preserve the rights of their clients. "We feel strongly that justice should be accorded to any woman whose rights have been violated as a result of forced sterilisation.

Henceforth, we would like to advocate for increased access to reproductive health information and services that will empower all expecting mothers, whether HIV positive or negative, with the right to choose," Nappa stated.