It is surprising that men spearhead the beginning of life of a child at conception, but still manifest ignorance that a foetus has a right to live and good care.
Most of the agonizing moments women complain about include lack of care or mistreatment they go through during pregnancy.
The State Minister for Health in Uganda said,
“Often, we blame our health workers, but the problem lies with the mothers and their unsupportive husbands who do not take them to health facilities in time. Sometimes mothers reach health centre III late, yet they are supposed to be referred to the next level where there is a doctor to perform a Caesarean Section. By the time the mother is moved from the lower facility to the next level, it is too late to save her life,” Opendi said.(The New Vision)
A number of pregnant women in Uganda are tortured and even beaten to a point of miscarriages in addition to sustaining other body injuries.
In some cases, women are made to work from the moment of conception up to birth, without any sense of relief or a helping hand from their husbands.
It’s rare to come across men especially in rural areas helping their wives with family chores. To some extent, I would argue that a few men in urban areas try and employ maids to help their wives during pregnancy.
Men want to celebrate a graduation party of children, witness their children wedding among other achievements. Yet they do not recognize that without supporting their wives during pregnancy, such achievements cannot be reached as babies may even die before birth.
It is not surpring that some children are raised by single mothers or even in families where both man and woman stay together, children grow closer to their mothers while resenting their fathers.
The bond is cemented when the foetus is still in the womb, as children whose mothers have been mistreated during pregnancy tend to grow up but with feelings of rejection.
Even at work places some pregnant women are mistreated or even discriminated against, for instance a recent stories that featured in CNN and BBC news. A case in the New Vision shows that some pregnant women are even denied the right to live, that is; killed by their relatives or family members.
It’s not only on graduation or winning a gold medal that a child should be recognized. The life of a child begins at conception and therefore men should take care of their pregnant wives. Better policies that allow pregnant girls to access education in schools as depicted in the Daily Monitor should also be advocated for.
Special appreciation go to World Health Organisation(WHO) for the work well done; @WHO . You have worked greatly to improve antenatal care services to pregnant women.
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