MADAGASCAR – Decriminalise abortion: four panellists in a public meeting give their points of view

July 20, 2018
by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion

In Madagascar, abortion is a crime, punishable by the Penal Code, which has been in place since the colonial period, stemming from the Napoleonic Code of 1810. In December 2017, there was an attempt in Parliament, to decriminalise therapeutic abortion. In vain. But as the presidential election approaches, the association which fights for the legalisation of abortion called Nifin’Akanga, named after an abortifacient plant widely used in Madagascar to induce abortion, has revived the debate. The group hopes to encourage the candidates to take a stand on this social issue.

Abortion in Madagascar is a taboo subject, they say. But it’s more than that, it’s a lot of hypocrisy around a major topic of public health, says one of the participants in the debate. A sensitive issue, and difficult to quantify.

Continued: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/madagascar-decriminalise-abortion-four-panellists-in-a-public-meeting-give-their-points-of-view/