Majority of abortions unreported
A MAJORITY of abortions happening in Zimbabwe are not being reported in the health delivery system, a situation that has seen the number of women who die after performing illegal abortions increasing.
According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, an estimated 80 000 abortions are performed each year and the abortions are mostly illegal as termination of pregnancy in illegal in the country.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Reproductive Health specialist Dr Edwin Mupeta said despite the strides the country has made in addressing maternal mortality, the issue of illegal abortions is still a challenge.
“Some issues that we focus on are to ensure that women get quality antenatal and post natal care as we have seen that the bulk of our women die in the post natal period so it is important to focus on that.
“Issues to do with access to quality and safe abortion services have to be considered. This is very important as about 30 percent of maternal deaths are related to abortion. In terms of the laws of Zimbabwe abortion is illegal and can only be done on certain grounds such as if it will cause a threat to the mother’s life,” he said.
Dr Mutepa said information that was being received at health institutions regarding maternal mortality as a result of illegal and unsafe abortion was a fraction of what is actually happening on the ground.
“We need to strengthen the surveillance system as some deaths are occurring within the communities and are not being reported,” he said.
UNFPA Gender Co-ordinator Ms Verena Bruno said it is also not clear how abortion can be carried out in Zimbabwe.
“Generally the understanding of the Termination of Pregnancy Act and how it must be enacted is not clear. Policy work still needs to be done in terms of capacity building for the judiciary system on how to really implement the policies that are already in place,” she said.
According to the Act, a pregnancy may be terminated where the continuation of the pregnancy so endangers the life of the woman concerned or so constitutes a serious threat of permanent impairment of her physical health that the termination of the pregnancy is necessary to ensure her life or physical health, as the case may be.
It can also be terminated where there is a serious risk that the child to be born will suffer from a physical or mental defect of such a nature that he will permanently be seriously handicapped or where there is a reasonable possibility that the foetus is conceived as a result of unlawful intercourse (incest).
According to Zimbabwean law, a legal abortion must be performed by a physician in a designated institution with the permission of the superintendent of the institution.
If the pregnancy resulted from unlawful intercourse (incest), a magistrate of a court in the jurisdiction where the abortion will be performed must certify that the alleged intercourse was reported to the police and that pregnancy may have resulted from it.
When the abortion is requested because the pregnancy poses a threat to the life or physical health of the pregnant woman, or on grounds of foetal impairment, two physicians that are not members of the same practice must certify to the relevant hospital superintendent that one of these conditions exists. However, if the woman’s life is in danger, a physician can perform the abortion in a place other than a designated institution and without a second medical opinion.
Under the same Act, no medical practitioner or nurse or person employed in any other capacity at a designated institution is obliged to participate or assist in the termination of a pregnancy.