The information went virtually unnoticed, and yet! On May 15, after two months of public debate, Morocco finally decided to legalize voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) … in certain cases.
Until now, the issue of abortion on Moroccan territory had been decided: abortion was only authorized if the mother’s health was in danger. Otherwise, a clandestine abortion usually resulted in a prison sentence of 1 to 5 years depending on the circumstances. Result: the country knew 600 to 800 clandestine abortions per day (!), Carried out in conditions of hygiene and safety more than questionable (source: WHO). Some NGOs even estimate that in Morocco, up to 150 children are abandoned every day. Figures that are cold in the back …
Cases of “force majeure”
Two months ago, the case ended up landing on the desk of King Mohamed VI. After consultation with religious bodies and civil society, a royal press release then announced the authorization of abortion in 3 new so-called “force majeure” cases: pregnancies “resulting from rape”, those which occur ” following an incest “and when the fetus is affected by” serious malformations and incurable diseases “.
While some welcome a good step forward in the direction of women’s rights, others denounce a “minimum” measure. It must be said that, if Morocco hardly looks at the question of abortion in 2015, in Tunisia, abortion has been legal since 1973 and practiced free of charge at the request of the woman up to 3 months of pregnancy. Go, one more effort!
Discover the manifesto of 420 medicines in favor of abortion.
And also: 85% of French women say they are in favor of voluntary termination of pregnancy. And you ?
