Table 3. Abortion laws and services in Ethiopia, Malawi and Zambia.
| Zambia | Ethiopia | Malawi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grounds for abortion | Life, mental and physical health of pregnant woman; physical and mental health of existing children; foetal impairment. In 2005 Penal Code sections 151–3 were amended to include rape and defilement of female children.a “The pregnant female child's word must be taken as a matter of fact … not subject to the health care provider's subjective analysis.” |
Article 551 of the Penal Code: Life, mental and physical health, of pregnant woman; rape and incestb; mental or physical disability including due to minority status of pregnant woman; foetal impairment. Includes provision to terminate pregnancies legally on the grounds of being below the age of 18 without requiring proof of age. | Life of pregnant woman. |
| Availability of safe abortion services | Some availability in public sector facilities; limited availability in the private/ NGO sector19,38 | Widely available in the public, private and NGO sectors.39–41 | Very limited availability42,43 |
| Standards and Guidelines on safe abortion care: adolescent-specific content | 2nd Edition (2017) Adolescent Includes standards to ensure availability of services at the community level for both in-school and out of school adolescents. For a person below the age of legal consent to a medical or surgical procedure (less than 18 years of age), to obtain an abortion procedure, the parents or legal guardian approval to terminate the pregnancy must be documented. The best interest of the minor will take precedence over that of the parents or guardian. The guidelines recognise that supportive counselling may be necessary for adolescents. |
2nd Edition (2013) No specific mention of adolescents is included in the Ethiopian guidelines. A provider should secure informed consent for a procedure. However, minors are not required to sign a consent form to obtain an abortion procedure. |
Standards and guidelines on abortion care not available |
a Section 152[2]: “Any female child being pregnant who, with intent to procure her own miscarriage, unlawfully administers to herself any poison or other noxious thing or uses any force of any kind commits an offence and is liable to such community service or counselling as the Court may determine, in the best interest of the child.”
b Women who request termination of pregnancy after rape and incest are not required to submit evidence of rape and incest and/or identify the offender in order to obtain abortion services.