Abortion legalization: from the first movement until now
Abortion is the act of terminating a pregnancy. In some countries, women have the right to do it safely and under favorable conditions, whereas in others, it is illegal, women can be imprisoned simply for exercising abortion. To get to know why some countries restricted abortion; We should ask these questions to shed light on why Those countries reject the legalization of abortion. What challenges do women in those countries face to gain abortion legalization? How did it all begin? When? What can they learn from the first case revolution? And how will they succeed in this experience in their respective countries?
To answer all these questions let’s get the North African countries, in this article, we will take Morocco as an example.
First and foremost, let us investigate why countries have banned abortion; the primary reasons are cultural or religious in nature. In the case of Morocco, they are following a 1963 law that criminalizes abortion, and its penalty ranges from 6 months to 5 years in prison, and it punishes not only the woman who had an abortion but also anyone who performs the abortion." based on Islamic legalization, the parliament uses religion for law reform that is based on Islamic Law, it stated that abortion is forbidden.
Even though the founder of the association anti-secret Abortion Doctor Chafik Chraibi declares that “the Islamic Authority, the conservative culture of the Moroccans stands for the illegalization of abortion and nothing prevents in religion”
For the second question, the answer began on December 11, 2014, when one of the famous France channels broadcast a documentary about clandestine abortion from one of Morocco's public hospitals. This documentary had a huge impact, which led to a low reform in 2015, which limits cases of abortion in Incest, rape, and fetal deformity.
Women in Morocco face the following challenges:
− law 490, which criminalizes sexual relations outside of marriage;
− conservative Moroccan culture;
− and sexual education.
Secret abortion is one method that women use to avoid the legal consequences of abortion. Every day, between 600 and 800 cases of secret abortions are performed. Starting with the well-known case of 2019, Hajar Raissouni, a journalist, was imprisoned for one year for secret abortion and sexual relationship outside of marriage, and for two years for her doctor who agreed to perform the abortion procedure.
Following the appeal of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that advocate for human rights and associations, King Mohammed VI granted the journalist a legal pardon; this case galvanized many women to fight for abortion legalization, but nothing has changed.
Back to the recent case of Meriem in 2021, a 14-year-old Moroccan girl who died after a clandestine pregnancy termination; this accident triggered women all over Morocco to protest for abortion rights; the case of Meriem evolved into a request for abortion legalization; associations, media, women, and men banded together to make a change using social media and direct speech.
Even though the results of all these efforts are still small, they are progressive; the United States of America and England began protesting for the legalization of abortion from 1803 until 1975 and are still facing issues.
According to the example I gave, information about the historical timeline of the legalization of abortion in Morocco was limited, but now, thanks to social media, there is a great opportunity for change. Thanks to influencers, associations, people like Doctor Chraibi, and the feminist community, the revolution is coming with a new generation that believes in freedom and fights for their rights. They can succeed in the experience that took countries like the US and the UK more than 100 years in a few years so that girls like Ikram and women like Hajar can live in peace.
References :
− Parenthood, P. (n.d.). Historical abortion law timeline: 1850 to Today. Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from
https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/abortion-central-history-reproductive-health-care-america/historical-abortion-law-timeline-1850-today
− Hespress (November 2022). Abortion between respect of Islamic law and protest of NGO’s. Retrieved from:
https://www.hespress.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B6-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7-1076791.html
− Wikipedia, Hajar Raissoni, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajar_Raissouni
− Africanews,( November 2022). Abortion legislation in Morocco an 'absolute emergency', Dr pleads. Retrieved from: https://www.africanews.com/2022/11/13/abortion-legislation-in-morocco-an-absolute-emergency-dr-chraibi-pleads//
About the author :
Safae Balha is a management graduate and full stack developer. She has taken part in leadership programs like Triple E and Leadership Lab. She enjoys combining her IT and leadership skills to create projects that have a positive impact on society. She is one of our #Women4Leadership participants.
