By Joyclyn Wea
MONROVIA, Liberia — A Liberian advocacy group has launched a digital platform to monitor legislative progress on a comprehensive public health bill that has languished in the Senate for nearly three years.
The Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Champions-Liberia unveiled the SRHR Policy Tracker this week to track the Revised Public Health Bill, which passed the House of Representatives in July 2022 but has since stalled in the Senate Health Committee.
The tracking system, supported by the International Planned Parenthood Federation and Community Healthcare Initiative, aims to increase transparency and accountability in the legislative process surrounding the bill, which addresses various aspects of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
“The bill has been stuck at the Senate Health Committee since being passed by the House in 2022,” said Titus B. Pakalah, chairperson of SRHR Champions-Liberia, during the platform’s launch.
The legislation includes provisions related to unsafe abortion practices, which advocacy groups say contribute to maternal mortality in the West African nation. Liberia has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. The public health bill encompasses broader healthcare reforms beyond reproductive health, including provisions for community health programs and disease prevention measures.
Advocates argue that comprehensive health legislation is essential for strengthening Liberia’s medical infrastructure, which has faced significant challenges since the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic. The Policy Tracker represents a collaborative effort between civil society organizations, multi-sectoral working groups, and media outlets to maintain public pressure on lawmakers. The platform will provide real-time updates on committee hearings, amendments, and voting schedules related to the bill.
“We shouldn’t see this tracker as SRHR Champion-Liberia work,” said Naomi Tulay Solanke, executive director of Community Healthcare Initiatives. “In Liberia, we are quick to label collective work, but at the end of the day, how do we complement each other, because we are faced with a big cause?” The tracker launch coincides with ongoing advocacy campaigns by various health organizations operating in Liberia.
The Help a Mother & Newborn Initiative recently launched the “Echo Change Project” in Montserrado and Margibi counties, focusing on unsafe abortion awareness and the need for updated public health laws. Sister Aid Liberia, a prominent civil society organization, has been conducting training sessions for journalists to improve coverage of the public health bill, aiming to increase public awareness and understanding of the legislation’s potential impact on healthcare access and quality.
The stalled legislation has drawn attention from international development partners who have supported Liberia’s health sector reconstruction efforts. The bill’s provisions would update decades-old health laws and align Liberian health policy with contemporary medical practices and international standards. Senator Dabah M. Varpilah, chair of the Senate committee on health, urged campaigners to be careful about how they refer to the bill because abortion “has a bad interpretation to the traditional, religious, and entire population.” “You have to fight for these bills that protect women and girls,” Varpilah said.
“Some lawmakers want the abortion clause to be a stand-alone, like the gender quota law.”
30 percent gender quota amendment to the New Elections Law seeks to set legal foundations for addressing the historical under-representation of women at the National Legislature. The Policy Tracker will monitor several key aspects of the legislative process, including committee meeting schedules, public hearing announcements, and any amendments proposed by senators.
The platform will also track voting records and provide analysis of potential obstacles to the bill’s passage.
Liberia’s Senate has not publicly announced a timeline for completing its review of the public health bill. The legislation must receive Senate approval before it can be forwarded to President Joseph Boakai for signature into law. The tracking initiative will operate through a web-based platform accessible to journalists, civil society organizations, and members of the public interested in following the bill’s progress.
Regular updates will be provided through social media channels and direct communications with partner organizations. Civil society groups plan to use data from the Policy Tracker to organize targeted advocacy campaigns and coordinate with international partners supporting health system strengthening in Liberia. The platform represents a new approach to legislative monitoring in a country where government transparency has historically been limited.
The effectiveness of the SRHR Policy Tracker will depend on the Senate’s willingness to provide timely information about committee proceedings and voting schedules. Advocacy groups hope the increased scrutiny will encourage lawmakers to prioritize the health legislation and complete their review process.
