Mozambique has passed a law permitting women to terminate unwanted pregnancies under specified conditions, a move hailed by activists in a country where clandestine abortions account for a large number of maternal deaths. President Armando Guebuza on Thursday quietly signed into law a revised penal code bill that eases prohibitions in abortion regulations.
The new law specifies that abortions will have to be carried out in recognised and designated health centres by qualified practitioners. Termination must be carried out within the first 12 weeks but in case of rape, the period is extended to 16 weeks. It will also be allowed when the pregnancy poses a serious risk to the health or life of the mother or in case of foetal abnormality.
In Mozambique, the earlier law outlawing abortion, except in cases where the mother's life or health is endangered, dates to the late 19th century, when the mainly Catholic Portuguese controlled the country. The other major creed in Mozambique is Islam, a faith which also does not support abortion. But the Catholic church said it was not against the legal reform. "It's not a matter of law but of conscience," said Joao Nunes of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique. "We will rather work on raising awareness among our community not to resort to abortion, to choose life."
The change came after a decade of spirited lobbying by reproductive health advocates in Mozambique, where clandestine abortions are one of the leading causes of deaths among pregnant women and girls. Abortion accounts for 11 percent of maternal deaths in Mozambique, according to health watchdogs. The move is a victory for women because it's not so "restrictive" anymore but more should still be done, said Ivone Zilhao, a Maputo-based sexual and reproductive health doctor with Pathfinder, an international NGO that promotes safe and legal abortion services.
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