DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 23 -- IN October 2020, a coalition of countries led by the United States under President Donald Trump unveiled the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Womens Health and Strengthening the Family.

Though non-binding, the declaration sent a powerful political message. ‘abortion should not be recognised as an international right and should not be promoted as a method of family planning.

It reaffirmed national sovereignty over abortion laws and emphasised the inherent dignity of human life.

For many observers, the document marked a coordinated pushback against decades of global advocacy aimed at recognising access to safe abortion as an essential component of womens health and human rights.

In Tanzania, wher...