The agony of women and girls in accessing abortion services in Zimbabwe

July 6, 2026
By Muchaneta Chimuka

Unsafe abortion cases remain rife among youth and adults in Zimbabwe. The challenges are fuelled by exorbitant medical costs, restrictive legal frameworks, an inadequate network of youth-friendly clinics offering sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, and deep-seated negative attitudes among healthcare providers.

Furthermore, infrastructure barriers, systemic policy hurdles, and a widespread lack of knowledge on how or where to seek safe services exacerbate the situation.

Continued: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/the-agony-of-women-and-girls-in-accessing-abortion-services-in-zimbabwe/

Zimbabwe – Dilemma reignites debate on rape, abortion and women rights

February 7, 2026
Muchaneta Chimuka, Features Writer

MULTI-AWARD-WINNING filmmaker, Joe Njagu’s Dilemma, explores how a couple’s dream of having a baby turns nasty after Chloe Thandeka “Busi” Ncube is gang-raped by armed robbers at their matrimonial home and impregnated, leaving her traumatised.

Cultural and religious beliefs within her family become a stumbling block for Busi to access safe abortion services at the local clinic and for her to get justice. This creates a big wound in the heart of the vulnerable woman.

Continued: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/dilemma-reignites-debate-on-rape-abortion-and-women-rights/

07.02.2026

Termination of Pregnancy Act

Zimbabwe – The dangers of selective abortion laws and the case for reform

December 17, 2024
Obey Sibanda

BUHLE, a 20-year old university student, finds herself in a desperate situation when she discovers she is pregnant. Fearing the consequences of her parents and friends finding out, she turns to a “friend of a friend” who claims to know how to perform an abortion.

The procedure is carried out in a cramped and unsanitary backyard shed. Buhle is given a concoction of unknown substances, and the “practitioner” attempts to perform a dilation and curettage (D&C) without proper equipment or anaesthesia. As soon as the procedure is over, Buhle begins to experience severe abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, and dizziness. She realises something has gone horribly wrong.

Continued: https://www.chronicle.co.zw/the-dangers-of-selective-abortion-laws-and-the-case-for-legal-reform/

17.12.2024

Commentary

1977 Termination of Pregnancy Act

Zimbabwe – Unsafe abortions a major public health concern

Muchaneta Chimuka
21 January 2021

Unsafe abortion cases are rife among youth
and adults in Zimbabwe owing to high medical costs, restrictive abortion laws
and lack of or inadequate youth friendly clinics that offers sexual
reproductive health services, negative attitudes by service providers towards
patients, lack of knowledge on how and where to seek services among others.

The 2020 #VoiceandChoice Barometer notes that 24 percent of all pregnancies in
Southern Africa end in abortion.

Continued: https://www.chronicle.co.zw/unsafe-abortions-a-major-public-health-concern/

Zimbabwe: Unsafe Abortions Are a Major Public Health Concern

13 DECEMBER 2020
By Muchaneta Chimuka

Unsafe abortion cases are rife among youth and adults in Zimbabwe owing to high medical costs, restrictive abortion laws and lack of or inadequate youth friendly clinics that offers sexual reproductive health services, negative attitudes by service providers towards patients, lack of knowledge on how and where to seek services among others.

The 2020 #VoiceandChoice Barometer notes that 24% of all pregnancies in Southern Africa end in abortion. Although no Southern African country totally bans abortion, most conditions under which women can obtain abortions remain restrictive.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202012140629.html

Zimbabwe – Safe abortion is health care

Edinah Masiyiwa, Feature
06 Oct 2020

IT is time we pass effective laws and policies that promote women’s choices when it comes to keeping or terminating a pregnancy especially now when it is so difficult for many women and girls to access Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in the Covid-19 era. We also cannot afford to keep seeing policy agreements passed that are never fulfilled.

The truth is maternal mortality remains high across the Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) region, despite political commitment to reduce it. Fourteen countries in Sadc out of 16 countries remain below the target of 70 deaths per 100 000 women. It appears leaders are quick to sign regional and international declarations and agreements such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the International Conference on Population in Development without putting in place country strategies for ensuring implementation.

Continued: https://www.chronicle.co.zw/safe-abortion-is-health-care/

Zimbabwe – Traditional leaders roped in to steer abortion debate

July 27, 2020
BY PHYLLIS MBANJE

AS more women continue to die from backyard abortions, traditional leaders including chiefs have been roped into discussions to find a lasting solution which include the possible amendment of the 1977 Termination of Pregnancy Act.

Zimbabwe is among countries with high maternal mortality rates at 462 per 100 000 live births and illegal abortions contribute about a third of that figure.

Continued: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2020/07/traditional-leaders-roped-in-to-steer-abortion-debate-2/

Zimbabwe – Timely Pitch: Women Still Need Contraceptives During Lockdown

Timely Pitch: Women Still Need Contraceptives During Lockdown

by Edinah Masiyiwa
28.4.2020

Recently, my work phone rang and on the other end was a woman called Tendai (not her real name). Tendai needed to get a replenishment of her contraceptives. She tried to go to the women’s clinic that morning.

Our clinics were deemed essential and are open, but Tendai could not reach one as there was no public transport running in her area. Quickly, I assured Tendai that I would call her back with a solution. Fortunately, Women’s Action Group, the organisation I work for, is part of a coalition working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and I was able to connect her to a service provider who helped her obtain her contraceptives as they could offer transport within a given radius and she lived close enough to receive that help.

Continued: https://www.thezimbabwean.co/2020/04/timely-pitch-women-still-need-contraceptives-during-lockdown/

Zimbabwe – Let’s break the silence on abortion and save lives

Let’s break the silence on abortion and save lives

08 Oct, 2019
Edinah Masiyiwa, Correspondent

The time to discuss unsafe abortions has never been more urgent in Zimbabwe, where nearly all abortions are clandestine and approximately 40 percent of these abortions result in complications such as severe bleeding, infection and even death.

Though the exact figures of women and girls who have died from unsafe abortions is not known, a study showed that abortions are the fifth leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Zimbabwe.

Continued: https://www.herald.co.zw/lets-break-the-silence-on-abortion-and-save-lives/

08.10.2019