Abortion in South Sudan

In South Sudan, abortion is illegal unless the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. Illegal abortions are punishable by fines and prison, with shortened sentences if the abortion is done to protect honor. Unsafe abortion is common and contributes to the country's high maternal mortality rate. Most abortions in the country are self-induced, while others are received from unsafe private medical providers. Norms favoring large families and high birth rates contribute to a taboo against abortion in the country. The culture of the Dinka people prohibits abortion unless the woman has had pregnancy-related health problems. Post-abortion care is uncommon in the country.

Before 2008, South Sudan followed Sudan's abortion law, which permitted abortions in cases of risk to life or pregnancy from rape or incest. During the Second Sudanese Civil War, the Sudanese People's Liberation Army and its post-war successor, the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement, implemented pro-natalist policies and opposed family planning. The post-war government implemented a 2008 abortion law that was more restrictive than the previous one, permitting abortion only for life-threatening pregnancies. After South Sudan gained full independence, the Ministry of Health, led by international organizations, supported family planning, going against the pro-natalist view, and a post-abortion care policy was implemented in 2014. Still, the abortion debate did not commonly feature in public discourse, and reproductive health groups avoided the subject. The outbreak of the South Sudanese Civil War led to wartime rape and other factors that contributed to abortions.