THE Women’s Action Group (WAG), a local non-governmental organisation fighting
for the recognition of human but more specifically women’s rights believes that
young and adolescent girls who fall pregnant should be allowed to abort.
The Zimbabwean Constitution allows for termination of pregnancy.
The Termination of Pregnancy Act was signed into law in 1977 by the Rhodesian
government and enacted in January 1978.
The Government of Zimbabwe inherited the Act at Independence and up to now the
law has not been amended.
The law allows for pregnancy termination on grounds that the pregnancy can result
in the death of the pregnant mother or seriously affect her physical health.
It also applies in cases where there are dangers that one could give birth to a
physically abnormal or dead foetus.
It accommodates victims of rape and incestuous relationships.
According to Edna Masiyiwa, WAG Executive Director, in recent times, there have
been multiple cases of teen pregnancies and teen mothers being reported.
On this basis, she believes that the law should open up to accommodate the young
girls and allow them to undergo safe abortions.
Masiyiwa said there was need for the Act to be reviewed after serving a good four
decades.
“What l think is, that the law no longer serves the woman of today. It needs to be
revised and expanded so that it accommodates more.”
She said the law is also punitive to women in the context that it is time and resource
consuming.
“The law again says while safe abortion is allowed; it can only be done at designated
hospitals by doctors only and after getting court clearance.
“Where do we find a magistrate or a doctor down in Mbire, in some remote and hard-
to-reach communities?
“It was our thinking that the law expands and cuts short the clearing process before
one sees a doctor. We are also of the thinking that midwives can do the terminations
if empowered so that we can save lives,” said Masiyiwa.
She also called for the law to be specific on the designated hospitals where
pregnancy terminations can be conducted.
Meanwhile, the organisation is also moving around communities trying to educate
them about the Termination of Pregnancy Act.
Masiyiwa said they have seen that a number of people among the communities are
not aware of the Act, hence they are carrying and giving birth to pregnancies they
could have terminated.
She said they are carrying out awareness campaigns across communities, educating
them about the act.
She, however, called on Parliament to revise and expand the law to accommodate
teen pregnant girls as well as HIV/AIDS victims.
She is optimistic the new parliamentarians will look at the “archaic” law, expand and
amend it.
