September 4, 2015 By Victoria Saffa
Lucy Mallay, 17, has been arrested by the police in Bo city, southern Sierra Leone for the reported death of one Tenneh Moriba, following an alleged illegal abortion, according to media officer at the Bo Police Station, Inspector Mohamed Sannoh.
According to Inspector Sannoh, Lucy Mallay is being investigated for the death of Tenneh Moriba because she had allegedly administered drugs to the deceased for the purpose of abortion, which allegedly caused the victim to bleed to death at the Bo Government Hospital.
The suspect has reportedly been in detention for over 20 days, which has led to human rights groups calling on the police to charge the matter to court or release the suspect on bail.
Abortion is criminalised under the laws of Sierra Leone. However, non-governmental organisation, Ipas Sierra Leone, has been campaigning for the government to decriminalise and make abortion a matter of choice rather than death.
According to Country Director of Ipas Sierra Leone, Valrie Tucker, young lives are lost each year across the country because of unsafe abortion, adding that the government should speed up the process of reviewing and repealing the law on abortion so as to save lives.