Mozambique: Unsafe abortion cases fall

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Mozambique: Unsafe abortion cases fall

9:09 CAT | 18 Oct 2022

Photo: Centro Internacional Para Saúde Reprodutiva - ICRH-M

The number of unsafe abortion cases reported in Mozambique fell from about 2,000 in the first semester of 2021 to 1,800 in the same period of 2022, according to health authorities.

Evidence strongly suggests that this trend is due to the decriminalization of abortion in the country.

Abortion is the fifth cause of death of mothers and babies in Mozambique, which puts the country on the list of countries with highest maternal-infant mortality rate.

“Although we have decreased the number of reported cases of unsafe abortions, we still have a high number of unwanted pregnancies, so even before talking about abortion, we should address prevention methods,” said Farida Urci, Deputy Health Minister cited in Monday’s issue of the independent daily online “O Pais”.

Despite these positive developments, Urci says that the health sector is still facing difficulties in combating unsafe abortion.

One of them is to convince rural girls to adhere to safe abortion services provided by the health system.

“In rural girls tend to resort to traditional medicine for abortion, which often results in very serious complications, which can range from infertility to death,” she said.

To minimise the problem, the law decriminalising abortion came into force in 2017, which may have contributed to access to safe abortion, given that from 2020 to 2021, there was an increase from five thousand to 22,000 the number of cases of abortions performed in hospitals.

However, the deputy health minister says that still little is known among the population about the law decriminalising abortion and campaigns are underway to publicise it.

Urci was speaking in Maputo on Friday as part of the celebrations of the International Safe Abortion Day, celebrated on 28 September under the theme “Safe Abortion in Uncertain Times”.

Source: AIM