Abortion bill in Malawi gets a nod from religious leaders

Abortion bill in Malawi gets a nod from religious leaders

Feb 24, 2019
by Emily Banda

As part of the burden of addressing unsafe abortions that are contributing to maternal deaths, Malawi needs to urgently review its archaic abortion law, liberal clerics have said.

The clerics are concerned that 439 women out of every 100,000 die in Malawi due to pregnant-related causes.

Continued: https://csjnews.org/2019/02/24/abortion-bill-malawi-gets-nod/


Melania Trump’s sunny message in Africa at odds with US policy

Melania Trump's sunny message in Africa at odds with US policy

By David McKenzie and Brent Swails, CNN
October 3, 2018

Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN)First lady Melania Trump's solo swing through Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt should come as no surprise.
It has become something of a tradition for US first ladies.

In the 1990s, Hillary Clinton met with Nelson Mandela and toured his jail cell on Robben Island. Laura Bush traveled to Africa to visit HIV/AIDS programs. Michelle Obama, who focused more on domestic issues, still made it out to South Africa and Botswana on a solo tour.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/03/africa/flotus-africa-trip-intl/index.html


Women are dying from backstreet abortions. But reforms to Malawi’s 157-year-old laws are stuck

Women are dying from backstreet abortions. But reforms to Malawi's 157-year-old laws are stuck

By Lameck Masina for CNN
Sep 25, 2018

Blantyre, Malawi — David Minyatso holds the voter registration card of his late wife, Selina.

The last time he saw her, she had just found out she was pregnant with their fourth child.

"She told me she was feeling symptoms of pregnancy. She left for her home village two days later to visit her parents," 36-year-old Minyatso said, standing in the doorway of their thatched-roof home in Kaseleka village, his daughters playing in the dirt yard outside.

continued: https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/26/health/malawi-abortion-law-as-equals-africa-intl/index.html


Health Experts In Malawi Still Pushing For Legalisation Of Safe Abortion

Health Experts In Malawi Still Pushing For Legalisation Of Safe Abortion

Sep 19, 2017
By Jayne KAONGA

Following reports that unsafe abortions are still being carried out and leading to the death of mothers and young girls in Malawi, health experts are appealing to the relevant authorities for the legalisation of safe abortion.

A 2009 research conducted by the Coalition for the Prevention of Unsafe Abortion (COPUA) found that at the time 67,000 women had unsafe abortions in Malawi.

At the time this cost the government US$1 million to treat complications.

Continued at source: http://www.capitalradiomalawi.com/index.php/blog/local-news/capital-news/item/8507-health-experts-in-malawi-still-pushing-for-legalisation-of-safe-abortion


Clandestine and Unsafe Abortion Common in Malawi

Clandestine and Unsafe Abortion Common in Malawi
New Evidence Can Inform Policy Discussions on Reducing Maternal Deaths

April 4, 2017
News Release

New research estimates 141,000 abortions occurred in Malawi in 2015—at an annual rate of 38 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age—all of which indicates that abortion is common in the country. The majority of these procedures were performed under clandestine and unsafe conditions and often resulted in complications. The research, which was conducted by the U.S.-based Guttmacher Institute and the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Malawi College of Medicine, comes as a national debate is underway in Malawi on whether to liberalize the country’s abortion law by expanding the criteria under which an abortion can be legally obtained. Under the current law in Malawi, abortion is only permitted when it is necessary to save the life of the woman.

Continued at source: Guttmacher Institute: https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2017/clandestine-and-unsafe-abortion-common-malawi