A proposal to change a 2016 law to permit girls as young as 15 to receive contraceptives was rejected by the Rwandan parliament.
According to officials, a group of MPs introduced the bill to reduce the 21% increase in teenage pregnancies from more than 19,000 in 2020 to 23,000 last year.
Only people aged 18 and older are legally permitted to obtain services related to sexual and reproductive health, although health advocates, cultural, and religious leaders have discussed decreasing that age requirement.
The rejection of the bill stops “the anticipated changes” in the law that “has gaps”, Aflodis Kagaba, a Rwandan reproductive health activist, told the BBC.
“Unfortunately, this has overshadowed everything else including the opportunity to re-open these important conversations in parliament,” Kagaba said.
More than 30 MPs who rejected the bill cited their faith, social and cultural reasons, local media report.
But Kagaba said the current law “has gaps” and believes “it still needs to be revised”.
“Today if you are under 18 and need [sexual and reproductive] health services you are required to be accompanied by parents for their approval.”
“This is a very huge barrier,” he said.
