Sustainable Development Goal 3 and the Termination of Pregnancy Act of Zimbabwe - an Argument for Expanding Women’s Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

Obdiah Mawodza, Boston City Campus

This paper examines the impact of the Termination of Pregnancy Act (Chapter 15:10) of Zimbabwe in fully realising women’s access to sexual and reproductive health rights, as part of its commitment of achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including family planning by 2030. The paper reveals that though the Act restricts abortion to circumstances of rape, incest, fetal impairment, or to save the life of the pregnant woman, access to legal abortions on these grounds is however practically difficult and rare. Since illegal unsafe abortions and maternal mortality ratios remain high in Zimbabwe, removal of barriers to access to abortion services would be the first crucial step to take if it were to have universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. This calls for the modernisation of the Termination of Pregnancy Act in order for Zimbabwe to align with Sustainable Development Goal 3 agenda.