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Zimbabwe Court Strikes Down Abortion Law Denying Victims of Marital Rape and Minors

Photo Credit: Africa News

Zimbabwe Court Strikes Down Abortion Law Denying Victims of Marital Rape and Minors

In a groundbreaking decision on November 22, a Zimbabwean court ruled that victims of marital rape and girls under 18 should be allowed to legally access abortion services. The ruling aims to protect women and minors from unsafe, illegal abortions, which often lead to fatalities.

Zimbabwe’s restrictive abortion laws have long put women and girls in dangerous positions. Despite criminalizing marital rape and sex with minors, the law still prevented these victims from seeking legal abortions. This contradiction had left many young girls, some as young as 10, to either carry pregnancies to term or resort to unsafe, clandestine abortions that often result in death. While abortion is permitted under limited circumstances—such as in cases of incest, danger to the mother’s life, or serious fetal defects—girls under 18 still faced the legal barrier of not being allowed to terminate a pregnancy caused by rape.

Photo Credit: Africa News

Judge Maxwell Takuva’s ruling points out the inherent cruelty in forcing a child to carry a pregnancy to term or endure unsafe abortion procedures. Yet, while this ruling is a positive step, it still requires approval from Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court to become fully effective. The government did not oppose the ruling, but the contradiction remains: a legal system that criminalizes certain acts while refusing to protect the very victims who suffer the most.

Photo Credit: Leadership News

This ruling shines a light on the urgent need for legal reforms to protect the health and rights of women and girls. What do you think about Zimbabwe’s abortion laws? Should more countries follow suit in ensuring safe abortion access for minors? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Source:AP NEWS

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