TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY Archives

Zimbabwe Revision of Comprehensive Abortion Care Guidelines a positive step towards addressing high maternal morbidity and mortality

February 26, 2024 Memory Kadau

By Memory Pamella Kadau Zimbabwe’s recent revision of its Comprehensive Abortion Care Guidelines marks a significant step forward in addressing the persistent challenge of high maternal morbidity and mortality linked to complications of abortion (Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care, 2023). Despite previous efforts, the burden remains evident, with abortion complications ranking as a major cause of maternal deaths in both rural and urban settings, according to a community-based study conducted by the Zimbabwe National Health Department (Zimbabwe National Health Department, 2022). This study further revealed that abortion complications…

Abortion is not illegal but restricted in Zimbabwe

December 19, 2022 Memory Kadau

By Memory Pamella Kadau Zimbabwe’s Termination of Pregnancy Act (TOP) provides a legal framework on when and how can women and girls access safe abortion services. The Act provides only three grounds under which pregnancy can be lawfully terminated in the country. It further provides that pregnancies can only be terminated by a registered medical practitioner and authorized by a court order. However, these grounds are very narrow and result in a many women and girls seeking unsafe abortions every year which expose them to health complications and death. The…

Access to abortion is critical for women socio-economic growth

November 18, 2022 Memory Kadau

By Memory Pamela Kadau The economy is often described as consisting of firms, government and households. Economic activities of households are determined by income, savings and what they can spend on such basics as health, food, education and clothing, socials amongst other recurrent needs of households. Of critical importance for the economic balance of the household is the number of dependents in each household. Children constitute the majority of dependents in households and meeting their needs takes up a significant amount of the household budget. In Zimbabwe, the government doesn’t…

Values clarification workshops to improve abortion knowledge and attitudes: Post assessment

October 24, 2022 Mufaro Musiyazviriyo

By Mufaro Musiyazviriyo The Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1977 states that it is illegal to terminate a pregnancy unless it has been sanctioned by Government authorities which includes, the court and state hospitals agreeing that the pregnancy in question was as a result of unlawful intercourse (rape/incest). The Act also allows for termination of pregnancy if the pregnancy endangers the life of the women or the child to be born will suffer from a physical or mental defect of such a nature that they will permanently be seriously handicapped.…

Child Marriages and Teen Pregnancies: Twin Evils Widening Opportunities Gap Between Boys and Girls in Zimbabwe

April 2, 2021 Michael Gwarisa

Mashonaland Central Provincial Nursing Officer in the MoHCC, Anna Chinyemba

GROWING incidences of early marriages and Early Unintended Pregnancies (EUPs) that have also been exacerbated by the prevailing COVID-19 health emergency, have thrown girls and young women in an abyss of poverty, further making them vulnerable to various forms of abuse, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has warned. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Bindura According to statistics, there have been increased cases of teenage pregnancies during the COVID-19 induced lockdown period in Zimbabwe owing to a myriad of factors chief among them being the alarming rates of…