Health advocates criticize removal of abortion clause from revamped Medical Bill

Clause 11, which sought to align medical legislation with court judgments, was unexpectedly absent during the Bill's Second Reading in the Senate, despite being present in earlier versions. Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Sleiman Kwidini, stated the Ministry was surprised by its inclusion in the Senate. Advocates argue that the removal, attributed to misinformation, is a setback for reproductive justice and fails to comply with the Constitution of Zimbabwe and High Court rulings.

They clarify that Clause 11 was an administrative reform to remove colonial-era barriers to medical services already legal under the Termination of Pregnancy Act, not an attempt to legalize abortion on demand. Loveness Rukuni, a girls’ rights advocate, emphasized that the clause aimed to ensure timely care for sexual violence survivors and those with life-threatening complications. Onward Chironda, Executive Director of My Age Africa Trust, highlighted the reality of 70,000 unsafe abortions annually in Zimbabwe, stressing that a right existing only on paper is not a real right.

The coalition plans to continue engaging the Senate and Parliament to amend the Termination of Pregnancy Act and educate the public to counter misinformation, awaiting Constitutional Court co