By Staff Reporter
HARARE — The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC) has urged senators to reject the Medical Services Amendment Bill, describing it as a “deliberate termination of unborn life” and a threat to Zimbabwe’s moral foundations.
In a pastoral statement dated 4 February 2026, to be read at all Masses on 8 February, the bishops lamented that proponents of the bill were defying the sanctity of human life.
“In a few days’ time, our Senators shall sit, deliberate and vote on a Bill that seeks to permit the deliberate termination of unborn life by allowing abortion on demand, even for girls below the age of majority.
“We have reached a moment that calls for a serious re-examination of our moral compass as a nation,” read the ZCBC statement.
The ZCBC statement warns that the bill could undo moral progress, including the recent repeal of the death penalty.
“A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members; and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn.”
“From the moment of conception, that child is a human being in the process of maturation and deserving of protection… Human life is sacred.
“Abortion is a grave moral evil,” read the statement.
The ZCBC criticised provisions allowing abortion without parental consent or spousal involvement, saying the law would trivialise the deliberate ending of life, weaken family structures, and ignore the psychological and moral consequences of abortion.
They called on legislators to uphold their constitutional duty to protect unborn children and to support alternatives such as robust prenatal care, counselling, and assistance for vulnerable mothers.
“By voting against this Bill, ensure that State laws and administrative policies do not facilitate or normalise abortion.”
The bill, passed by the National Assembly in October 2025, would amend the 1977 Termination of Pregnancy Act to permit abortion up to 12 weeks on request and up to 20 weeks for broader health, socio-economic, or personal reasons, including for minors without notice.
Proponents of the reform argue that the current restrictive law has not stopped abortion but instead driven many women to seek unsafe procedures outside regulated health settings, contributing to maternal morbidity and mortality.
Health advocates and some civil society organisations point to Zimbabwe’s high maternal mortality as evidence of the public health need for more accessible reproductive care.
Preliminary figures from the 2022 Housing and Population Census show that Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality ratio remains elevated at around 363 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, despite a decline from earlier years, and unsafe abortion and related complications have been identified as contributors to maternal deaths.
Data from health sector research and international organisations underscore the ongoing challenges.
A 2016 estimate suggests that about 65,300 induced abortions occurred annually in Zimbabwe, equivalent to roughly 17 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–49.
A significant number of these procedures were carried out clandestinely due to restrictive legal conditions, with many resulting in complications that required medical care.
Research indicates that approximately 40% of women undergoing abortion in Zimbabwe experienced medical complications, and not all received the care they required.
Other studies have shown that unsafe abortion contributes significantly to maternal morbidity and is linked to increased risks of infection and bleeding.
High rates of unintended pregnancy – about 40 % of all pregnancies – and substantial gaps in post-abortion care services further complicate the nation’s reproductive health landscape.
The debate over abortion law reform reflects broader social tensions in Zimbabwe, where religious organisations, cultural values and human rights considerations intersect.
The ZCBC’s appeal emphasises moral and religious objections to abortion and calls for legislative alternatives focused on protecting both mothers and unborn children.
“Abortion cannot be used as a means of resolving conflict over a child already living in the womb of its mother…
“Let us also pray that children still hidden in the womb will not suffer the same fate simply because their faces are unseen and their voices unheard,” read the statement.
