Tag: safe abortion

Fresh Calls to Amend Zimbabwe’s 47-Year-Old Abortion Law Gather Momentum

Ntokozo Gudu

By Ntokozo Gudu Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) championing women and girls’ rights in Zimbabwe have called for the urgent amendment of the Termination of Pregnancy Act (TOP), in order to reduce the high maternal deaths associated with unsafe abortions in the country. Zimbabwe is using a Termination of Pregnancy (ToP) Act that was enacted in 1977 which many Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) believe no longer serves the prevailing challenges faced by women and girls. According to the 1977 law, abortion is allowed under the restricted circumstances of rape,…

Read More

Child protection and access to safe abortion

Memory Kadau

By Memory Pamella Kadau In the past few weeks, two unrelated developments have captured media attention and triggered thoughts about safe abortion and child protection. The first development was the lawsuit filed by Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), challenging the validity of some sections of the Termination of Pregnancy (ToP) Act. The second case was the raid and arrest of a cult which operated on a farm in Nyabira, some 30 kilometres west of Harare. Some 251 minors stayed at the farm where they were denied access to…

Read More

MOZAMBIQUE: MSF expands access to safe abortion care in Beira

Michael Gwarisa

By Health Reporter Tuesday, January 23, 2024 — In Beira, a city on Mozambique’s central coast, Doctors Without Borders/MSF is connecting hard-to-reach communities with safe abortion care and other sexual and reproductive health services. Mozambique has one of Africa’s most liberal abortion laws, allowing abortion on request during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to 24 weeks in limited circumstances, including fetal abnormality. Though abortion has been legal since 2014, many people still face obstacles to accessing this care, including stigma, misinformation, and corruption, such as charging for…

Read More

Challenging Online Post-Abortion Stigma in Zimbabwe: Advocating for Compassion

Memory Kadau

By Memory Pamella Kadau Introduction The discourse surrounding abortion remains a contentious and divisive topic worldwide, and Zimbabwe is no exception to the complexities that surround it. Recognising that the decision to undergo an abortion is deeply personal and multifaceted, individuals navigate this choice for various reasons. The subject is often marred by misinformation, disinformation, and pervasive stigma, posing significant hurdles for those seeking safe and reproductive healthcare. The social media space in Zimbabwe has become toxic toward young girls and women who undergo abortions. This editorial delves into the…

Read More

Role of Guidelines in Reducing Unsafe Abortions

Dr Munyaradzi Murwirwa

By Dr Munyaradzi Murwira Background According to World Health Organisation (WHO), six out of 10 unintended pregnancies end up in induced abortions, with 45 percent of all abortions estimated to be unsafe globally. Thus, strengthening access to comprehensive abortion care (CAC) within the health care system is fundamental to meeting the sustainable development goals (SDGs) relating to good health and wellbeing, and gender equality. In 2022, the WHO launched the new Abortion Care Guidelines to provide guidance for provision of comprehensive abortion care services (CAC) globally. Priority aspects of the…

Read More

Pro safe-abortion advocates engage the clergy

Kuda Pembere

It is about time religious leaders change their mindset towards safe abortion given their great influence in communities which could help save many lives lost to dangerous and unsafe abortion practises. By Kuda Pembere This was said during the International Safe Abortion Day commemorations held on Friday. Organisations in the consortium which commemorated the International Day of Safe Abortion included SheDecides, Population Services Zimbabwe (PSZ), SafAIDS with support from Swedish Embassy. The International Safe Abortion Day is marked every 28 September. It emerged from documentaries from PSZ and Katswe Sistahood…

Read More

Abortion policy and the vicious cycle of poverty

Memory Kadau

By Memory Pamella Kadau The previous instalment submitted that abortion doesn’t bring about a moral dilemma as middle ground propagation would argue. It’s clear that safe abortion services should be made accessible to women and this demands policy and legal reforms. This article explored how existing policy framework on abortion perpetuates the vicious cycle of poverty on women and fuels child sexual abuse termed ‘child marriages’. Abortion and poverty Poverty wears the face of a woman and the untold story is that hundreds of thousands of women are trapped in…

Read More

WHO issues new guidelines on abortion to help countries deliver lifesaving care

Healthtimes

Access to safe abortion critical for health of women and girls: WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing new guidelines on abortion care today, in a bid to protect the health of women and girls and help prevent over 25 million unsafe abortions that currently occur each year. “Being able to obtain safe abortion is a crucial part of health care,” said Craig Lissner, acting Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO. “Nearly every death and injury that results from unsafe abortion is entirely preventable. That’s…

Read More

Unsafe abortions lead to immediate and long term complications

Michael Gwarisa

COMPLICATIONS arising from post unsafe abortion infections could have long term implications on the fertility of women due to the unsterile nature of the environments and objects used during unsafe abortions procedures, a local Obstetrician and Gynecologist has warned.  . By Michael Gwarisa    Speaking to HealthTimes, Dr Grant Murewanhema an Obstetrician and Gynecologist said unsafe abortions were happening and unfortunately they were they were among the leading cause of maternal mortality in Zimbabwe. When you look at it just in the immediate short term after this act has been…

Read More

Access To Safe Abortion Care Is A Health Need

Healthtimes

Recently, two bodies of newly born babies were found in a bin in Harare.[1] Due to a lack of accessible contraceptives during COVID-19, 5000 girls were reported to have fallen pregnant in January alone,[2] and sadly, the abandonment of unwanted babies is one of the outcomes. Unsafe abortions are another. The reality is, this could just be a tip of the iceberg of what is happening to women and girls as a result of their inability to access contraceptives. By Edinah Masiyiwa As the COVID-19 epidemic rages on, the health…

Read More