Malawi Needs to Reform its Outdated Abortion Law
Jan 31, 2017
By Chisale Mhango
Having signed several international treaties, Malawi needs to reform its abortion law.
Malawi is one of the many countries in Africa discussing Abortion Law reform as proposed by the Africa Union Commission which calls for the harmonisation of the law on abortion with its international treaty agreements under the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. The protocol states " Protect the health of a women by providing safe abortion services in case of sexual assault, rape, incest and where the continued pregnancy endangers the mental and physical health of the mother or the life of the mother or the foetus "
Why this proposed reform has become such a controversial issue is of great concern to many especially in the legal and medical professions. The abortion law reform is not about the rights and wrongs of termination of pregnancy. It is not about whether or not abortion is morally right or wrong. Questions such as when life begins and whether or not foetus has rights are irrelevant at this point.
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Source: All Africa: http://allafrica.com/stories/201701310115.html