HARARE — Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care is developing regulations intended to improve access to lawful abortion services under existing legislation, Parliament has heard.
Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora outlined the government’s approach during Wednesday’s National Assembly sitting in response to questions about barriers to lawful termination of pregnancy.
The discussion followed the removal of Clause 11 from the Medical Services Amendment Bill, which had been intended to address some obstacles to accessing lawful termination services.
Mombeshora said the government was continuing to work within the existing Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1977 while considering administrative and clinical measures to improve access.
The law permits termination of pregnancy only in specified circumstances, including certain cases involving sexual offences and serious medical grounds.
The minister said the ministry was reviewing clinical guidance and strengthening training for healthcare workers involved in providing lawful termination services.
He also outlined efforts to decentralise post-abortion care and lawful termination services to additional healthcare facilities.
The aim, he said, was to reduce the need for women to travel long distances to obtain services permitted by law.
Mombeshora said the ministry was developing regulations to support implementation of the existing Act and improve procedures for accessing lawful services.
He referred to administrative requirements and the need to protect patients’ privacy and confidentiality.
The ministry was also working to improve public awareness of the circumstances in which termination of pregnancy is lawful.
During the parliamentary exchange, questions were raised about access to reproductive healthcare for adolescents.
Mombeshora cited an adolescent pregnancy rate of approximately 24 percent among girls aged 10 to 19 and outlined measures aimed at preventing unintended pregnancies and improving reproductive health education.
The figure was presented by the minister, although the parliamentary proceedings did not provide the underlying survey or precise statistical definition.
The government said its approach combined prevention, clinical services and efforts to reduce administrative barriers.
Mombeshora also referred to the need for further legislative reform and alignment of the 1977 law with Zimbabwe’s constitutional framework.
The regulations remain under development, and the ministry did not announce a date for their completion.
The parliamentary response did not indicate that abortion had been legalised beyond the circumstances already permitted under existing legislation.
