Abortion in Zimbabwe

Abortion in Zimbabwe is only available under limited circumstances. In 2005, IRIN reported that 70,000 illegal abortions took place across the country.^[1] The piece of legislation regulating abortions, the Termination of Pregnancy Act, was introduced by Rhodesia's predominantly white government in 1977. The law permits the procedure when "the life of the woman is endangered, the child may suffer a permanent physical or mental defect, or the fetus was conceived as a result of rape or incest."^[1]

In 2015, Phyllis Mbanje wrote that statistics indicate illegal abortions result in at least 20,000 maternal deaths, at least 5% of all maternal deaths, and over 80,000 terminated pregnancies every year in Zimbabwe.^[2]

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