A Life Saved Could Have Been Jane's: A Midwife’s Story of Compassion and Courage

My name is Rose Akinyi Otieno. I am a Community Health Nurse, a mother, wife, and proud grandmother. I was born and raised in Nakuru County, though my roots trace back to Siaya. Today, I run the Midtown Reproductive Health & Youth-Friendly Clinic in Nakuru Town, but this journey has not been a straight path. It is a story shaped by lived experience, loss, and the courage to change my perspective on one of the most stigmatized healthcare issues: abortion.

I never imagined I’d become an advocate for safe abortion. In fact, I was deeply conflicted about it. My nursing journey started early, when I almost dropped out of school to join a midwifery program in South Africa. My father stopped me, and in hindsight, that decision steered me towards a life of service here at home.

After graduating from Kenya Medical Training College in 1986, I found myself at Siaya District Hospital, working mostly in the maternity ward. I loved midwifery. It came naturally to me. But I also witnessed the silent pain of many women and girls who had nowhere safe to turn when they needed to end a pregnancy.

CASE

Jane Anyango (not her real name), a 17-year-old student, came to our clinic with a 16-week pregnancy. She had been impregnated by a neighbor over the holidays and was terrified of her parents finding out. During counseling, I urged her to bring her mother under the pretense of a medical checkup so we could gently share the truth and find a way forward together.

Jane never returned.

A few weeks later, I saw her photo in the newspaper's obituary section. She had died from complications after attempting an unsafe abortion.

That loss broke me. I kept asking myself: What if I had helped her? Would she still be alive? I carried the weight of that question in silence for years. But eventually, it became the driving force behind my unwavering commitment to safe abortion care.

After Jane’s death, I made a firm decision to advocate for safe abortion even when it meant risking everything. At the time, the law imposed a 14-year prison sentence for providing such services. But I could not ignore the countless other Janes who needed care, support, and safety.

In 2001, I received my first formal training in Post-Abortion Care. That same year, I opened my own clinic offering comprehensive reproductive health services in my estate. But the path was far from easy.

Between 2001 and 2012, I operated in constant fear. I was harassed by police, extorted by conmen, and even betrayed by fellow health workers, some of whom referred clients to me but also sent anonymous threats.

In one chilling incident, I supported a woman referred by a police officer I knew. Two weeks later, he sent others to entrap me. I had to pay a bribe to secure my release. The stigma, community hostility, and constant threats eventually forced me to relocate my clinic to a more central and less conspicuous part of town.

The last major harassment I faced was in 2011. But it marked a turning point.

In 2012, I joined the Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK), which empowered me through training, mentorship, and legal literacy. Thanks to the 2010 Constitution, my work became less risky, and I found new strength in advocacy, community leadership, and peer support.

Today, I serve as the Chairperson of the RHNK Nakuru Cluster, a position I’ve held for six years. I also served as the Vice Secretary on the RHNK Board for three years. In 2022, I joined the Triggerise Program through RHNK, which focuses on reducing teenage pregnancy by offering counseling and contraceptives—though even that now faces challenges under new policies requiring parental consent.

I remain a staunch advocate for the reproductive health and rights of women and girls. My journey has been one of struggle, resistance, courage and hope. If we can create a world where no girl dies like Jane did, then every risk I took will have been worth it.

By Rose Akinyi Atieno

RHNK Member

Registered Community Health Nurse & Midwife.

RHNK Member

Registered Community Health Nurse & Midwife