Ethical Reflections on the Effects of Zimbabwe’s Abortion Policy on Young Women’s Reproductive Health and Dignity

Abstract

Abortion is a practice that has engendered extensive moral debate in many societies globally. In the main, abortion has divided society into two camps: pro-life and pro-choice, representing the two contesting perspectives on the issue. On the one hand, the pro-life camp argues that abortion is not only immoral but also criminal because it involves the killing of an unborn being. On the other, the pro-choice camp maintains that abortion is of no significant moral consequences as it seeks to respect the woman’s choice regarding her rights, dignity and interests. There seem to be disagreements between the camps, leading to protracted debates on the moral status of abortion. To resolve the dispute, Zimbabwe’s constitution has provisions that seek to strike a balance between preserving human life and protecting the liberties and rights of the family, children and young women. However, the law provides restrictive conditions under which women can legally be permitted to terminate pregnancy, thereby driving abortion underground. Thus, the current legal status of abortion has dire effects on the family and young women. This chapter is a consequentialist exploration of the existing law on abortion in Zimbabwe. We argue that the current provisions on abortion are residues of the restrictive colonial laws that sought to disadvantage the Black women population in Zimbabwe by driving them into poverty and dependency, and that the current legal provisions on abortion are not pro-women’s rights and dignity. We further maintain that, instead of enhancing family growth and women’s reproductive health, the current law on abortion exposes young women to severe reproductive health hazards with critical consequential ramifications, threatening their well-being as expressed in Sustainable Development Goal 3. Our chapter concludes by underscoring the need for revisiting the current abortion law which is a crucial component in upholding and enhancing women’s reproductive health and rights.KeywordsAbortionReproductive healthEthicsAbortion lawColonial residueSustainable Development Goal 3