Historic win as Malawi High Court approves abortion access for survivors of sexual violence

November 14, 2025
Ipas

The High Court in Malawi has ruled that adolescent survivors of sexual violence have the right to access abortion services in both public and private health facilities. Previously, abortion was only legally permitted to save a pregnant person’s life.

Ipas Malawi welcomed this landmark decision affirming the right of women and girls to sexual and reproductive health. This win is the result of relentless advocacy by Ipas and partner organizations in a country that has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Africa, despite unsafe abortion accounting for 18% of maternal deaths.

Continued: https://www.ipas.org/news/malawi-high-court-approves-abortion-access-survivors-sexual-violence/

14.11.2025

News

abortion law reform

Coalition for the Prevention of Unsafe Abortion

COPUA

Felix Chinguwo

Ipas Malawi

Malawi Human Rights Commission

Ipas research shows hidden barriers to abortion access for adolescents in Africa

September 19, 2025
Ipas

When a 19-year-old in Ethiopia found herself pregnant, she made a chilling calculation. “I was sure [taking abortion pills] would either end the pregnancy or kill me,” she shared. “I preferred dying than my family hearing and getting angry with me.”

Her experience is captured along with that of many young people like her in powerful research exploring adolescent abortion care across Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia. Conducted by Ipas and partners—including the London School of Economics and partners across Africa—this groundbreaking study captures the voices and experiences of 313 adolescents seeking abortion-related care.

Continued: https://www.ipas.org/news/ipas-research-shows-hidden-barriers-to-abortion-access-for-adolescents-in-africa/

19.09.2025

Research

barriers to abortion access

Malawi – MPs need to engage constituents for the enactment of Termination of Pregnancy Bill

August 7, 2024
by Duncan Mlanjira

Abortion in one way is illegal but termination of pregnancy is legal – but it goes with it some restrictive conditions, which deny women and girls liberty to abort unplanned pregnancies and they resort to still go ahead through clandestine and unsafe abortion.

This has created a huge crisis in Malawi and from surveys done, each year, over 141,000 women and girls have abortions – almost all clandestine and the figure is likely to be higher because there are no records for those who successfully carried out the process.

Continued: https://www.nyasatimes.com/mps-need-to-engage-constituents-for-the-enactment-of-termination-of-pregnancy-bill/#google_vignette

07.08.2024

News

Brian Ligomeka

Centre for Solutions Journalism

clandestine abortions

Duncan Mlanjira

Ipas Malawi

maternal mortality

Termination of Pregnancy Bill

Unsafe Abortions Derail Malawi’s Progress on Maternal Health

With unsafe abortions contributing to 18% of maternal deaths, Malawi finds itself facing a dilemma in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of reducing maternal mortality to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.

Jun 23, 2023
Brian Ligomeka

Sitting on the veranda of her house in Bangwe Township, located in the southern Malawian city of Blantyre, 56-year-old Manesi Kamolo sheds tears as she recounts in an interview how her 17-year-old daughter died.

According to Kamolo, her daughter became pregnant after being raped while returning from school. “My daughter revealed to me that she was pregnant as a result of the rape,” she explains. “The discovery of the pregnancy haunted her. She told me she never wanted to keep the pregnancy as she wanted to continue with her education.”

Continued: https://malawi24.com/2023/06/23/unsafe-abortions-derail-malawis-progress-on-maternal-health/

Lack of access to post-abortion care leading to maternal deaths

Sep 08, 2021
Malawi24 Reporter

Ipas Malawi says lack of knowledge on how
women can access post-abortion care in health facilities is contributing to
high levels of maternal deaths in the country.

Ipas Malawi Program Manager Luke Tembo said this in Mzuzu during a
dissemination meeting for District Health Managers from the northern region
districts.

Continued: https://malawi24.com/2021/09/08/lack-of-access-to-post-abortion-care-leading-to-maternal-deaths/

08.09.2021

Malawi: High Rate of Maternal Deaths Worry Malawi’s Lawmakers

31 AUGUST 2020
By Tione Andsen, Mana

Government has an obligation to ensure that no woman should die due to pregnancy-related causes, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Matthews Ngwale has said.

He made the observation Saturday in Blantyre during an interface organized by Ipas Malawi and Centre for Solutions Journalism (CSJ) which drew together some Members of Parliament, gender activists, religious and traditional leaders.

Ngwale bemoaned that while neighbouring countries have drastically reduced maternal deaths, the country still lags behind as 439 out of every 100,000 women die due to pregnancy-related factors.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202008310634.html

31.08.2020