Moroccan Activists Launch Fund to Support Safe Abortions Amid Pandemic Restrictions

To encourage as many people as possible to contribute to this kitty, MALI has provided several key figures on abortion worldwide. According to these statistics presented, 25 million unsafe abortions are performed worldwide, while a woman dies every 9 minutes from the consequences of an unsafe abortion. Furthermore, 97% of unsafe abortions are performed in developing countries, or in Africa, the risk of dying from an unsafe abortion is very high.

Regarding Morocco, MALI states that there are 800 clandestine or risky abortions per day, according to figures from the Moroccan Association for the Fight against Clandestine Abortion (AMLAC). A record figure for a very conservative country, known for its defense of the decriminalization of abortion and the right of women to fully dispose of their bodies. The movement recalls that in Morocco "access to care and health is one of the rights that thousands of women are deprived of, especially the very controversial one on sexual and reproductive health". MALI believes that the health crisis related to Covid-19 and the containment measures "have had a dramatic impact on access to abortion, especially in countries like Morocco where abortion is restricted or prohibited".

In Morocco, abortion is only allowed when pregnancy poses a risk to the woman. This is an IMG, Medical Termination of Pregnancy or "therapeutic" abortion and not a Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy, severely punished by law. The Moroccan Penal Code provides for sentences of up to 2 years in prison for a woman who has an abortion, 1 to 5 years for anyone who performs an abortion on another person, 10 to 20 years if the patient dies and up to 30 years in case of recidivism.

According to Ibtissame Lachgar, human rights activist and Moroccan feminist who had co-founded the MALI movement, they have been fighting for sexual and reproductive rights since its creation. But regarding the decriminalization of abortion and the fight for safe abortion, it is recent and started in 2012 with Women on Waves. She reports that abortion pills have been distributed to many women but since the pill is no longer sold, this action is becoming increasingly difficult.