Luke Tembo, September 28, 2016, The Nation

For far too long, Malawians view of termination of pregnancy has condemned women and girls to either death or permanent disability. These are needless injuries and deaths that can be prevented if only we stop looking at termination of pregnancy as a crime, moral, faith or cultural issue-but rather as public health issue.

In the country, termination of pregnancy is legal but heavily restricted. It is permissible only to save the life of a pregnant woman. The restrictive law and the criminal sanctions are the main drivers of unsafe abortion in the country because women, for fear of the law, resort to clandestine and dangerous means to terminate pregnancies.

According to the Magnitude and Incidences of Abortion in Malawi, a study conducted by the Ministry of Health, over 70 000 women and girls procure abortion every year.

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Source: The Nation