Esther Passaris: Why I Put My Daughter on Birth Control Pills at Age 16

Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has said that she put her daughter on birth control pills at the age of 16.

Speaking when she appeared on Citizen TV’s Day Break show on Thursday, Passaris said she knew her daughter's friends were engaging in premarital sex and would influence her.

She said she put the minor on contraceptives to stop her from getting unwanted pregnant at an early age.

“Her friends are already having sex, I had it at a later age, my mother didn’t know about it and at the end of the day, I felt that it was important to take my daughter to a gynecologist," she explained.

She added: “I took her to my gynecologist in Nairobi and I said to my gynecologist, I want her on the pill, put her on the pill at the age of 16."

The 54-year-old politician said that although her daughter protested, she explained to her why it was necessary to take birth control pills.

“Parents have got to be realistic, by putting my daughter on birth control, I made sure that abortion does not become the birth control,” she asserted.

Passaris and other panelists were discussing the abortion ruling issued last week by the High Court. 

The judges ruled that abortion remains illegal in Kenya and that it can only be induced if the life of a mother is in danger.

Her remarks sparked a debate on social media, with a majority of users accusing her of poor parenting.

Ali Guyo said: “Disgraceful of the MP.”

David Galgallo posed: “16-year-old? This is wrong! We should teach our children why they should not have sex before marriage rather than giving them birth control pills. This encourages them to have unprotected sex.”

Passaris is a mother of two; a daughter and a son. Her daughter is now 23 years old.