Abortion in Malawi

In Malawi, abortion is only legal to save the life of the mother and abortion is a felony punishable by imprisonment. Providing materials for an abortion is also punishable. Most abortions in Malawi are unsafe and are performed by traditional healers or covert clinics or are self-induced. Unsafe abortion contributes to maternal mortality.

Malawi's penal code, introduced in 1930, has an abortion ban based on that of the British Empire. Since the 1990s, reproductive health organisations have been active in the country. The country ratified treaties including the 2005 Maputo Protocol. Pro-abortion activists argued that the abortion ban caused unsafe abortions and violated women's rights. In 2010, the international non-governmental organization Ipas formed a coalition that lobbied for abortion law reform. In 2012, the Ministry of Health under President Joyce Banda formed a commission that proposed the Termination of Pregnancy Bill. The bill would allow abortions in the cases of rape, risk to health, or birth defects. It received support and opposition from various religious groups. An attempt to introduce it to the National Assembly in 2016 was rejected. It was introduced to the assembly in 2021 but failed.

Abortion is a stigmatised subject in Malawi. Abortions are common among women with unwanted pregnancies, and the low rate of contraception contributes to the abortion rate. Unsafe abortion is particularly common among adolescents. Post-abortion care is available in free public facilities and other facilities, but uses dilation and curettage more frequently than manual vacuum aspiration, despite national and international guidelines recommending the latter.

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