AI warns that Morocco violates women’s rights due to the criminalization of abortion

Many women seek unsafe, unregulated and expensive alternatives to abortion, such as drugs or self-inflicted violence

May 14. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Amnesty International (AI) has warned this Tuesday that the Moroccan State violates the human rights of women due to the criminalization of abortion in the country, which forces many of them, even those who have suffered rape or abuse, to resort to to dangerous methods to terminate your pregnancy.

In its latest report, the NGO describes the devastating consequences of Morocco’s abortion ban and interviews 33 women who attempted the procedure, as well as representatives of humanitarian NGOs and professionals from both the health and legal sectors.

“Morocco’s discriminatory laws, policies and practices deny women their right to autonomous decision-making and perpetuate a social climate that forces women and girls to carry their pregnancies to term despite the consequences,” explained the director. AI Deputy Regional Middle East and North Africa Amjad Yamin.

No State should dictate decisions about women’s pregnancy or deprive them of essential sexual and reproductive health services – which are rights recognized by international law – as this “fosters violence, poverty and systemic gender discrimination.” “Yamin argued.

“Moroccan organizations have been asking the country’s authorities for years to decriminalize abortion and guarantee that no pregnant woman suffers mistreatment, humiliation, degradation or risk of criminal sanction or social exclusion for accessing or attempting to access abortion services,” he added.

WHAT THE CRIMINAL CODE SAYS

The Penal Code punishes those who attempt an abortion in Morocco with between six months and two years in prison, in addition to facing fines. The procedure can only be performed by a licensed surgeon and only if the mother’s life is in danger.

The legislation also provides for a prohibition on the dissemination of information related to the termination of pregnancy by any means. This assumption, “inciting abortion”, carries penalties of up to two years in prison and also fines.

There are also additional provisions that women face under the law that punishes sexual relations outside of marriage. In the same way, medical personnel who perform such procedures outside the law risk losing their license and in the event of lawsuits in this regard, the providers of these services do not respect the confidentiality of the patient, since they are forced to disclose information about operations.

A doctor assures the NGO that their “hands are tied.” “What can we do as medical professionals? Nothing. We can’t help women,” she says, adding that “it’s frustrating not being able to give help” to people who need it.

For all these reasons, many women are coerced to continue with their pregnancy, even in cases of rape, which worsens social exclusion and poverty, while others resort to clandestine and dangerous methods to terminate their pregnancies.

UNSAFE, UNREGULATED AND EXPENSIVE ALTERNATIVES

Amnesty affirms that women who have no way out seek unsafe, unregulated and expensive alternatives, such as the misuse of drugs, the ingestion of dangerous chemical mixtures and even self-inflicted physical violence or that of third parties. Four women interviewed by the NGO were hospitalized for serious health complications due to self-induced abortion attempts.

Farah was raped by a partner while she was unconscious due to a diabetic coma. After discovering that she was pregnant, she went to the gynecologist for help, although he refused to perform an abortion. Additionally, her boss removed her from her position to avoid possible damage to the reputation of her business.

“I took all kinds of herbs and drinks to abort. I bought herbs from a herbalist, I drank the infusions, I had unbearable pain and I vomited. I felt like my intestines were tearing, but I didn’t have an abortion. Once I went to my room, I undressed, I I put a long stick up my vagina (…) For more than five months I tried everything, to no avail. I even thought about committing suicide,” she tells the NGO.

Amnesty warns that violence against women in Morocco “fosters a culture of impunity and allows perpetrators of rape, sexual harassment and gender violence within the couple to act freely.”

Ten other women told the NGO that they had become pregnant after being raped by a stranger, a neighbor, their boyfriend or their husband. The criminalization of abortion also affects other cases, such as those who suffer an involuntary or unwanted pregnancy due to failures in contraceptive methods or economic deprivation.

ADULTERY IN THE CRIMINAL CODE

The Penal Code punishes sexual relations between unmarried people with sentences of between one month and one year in prison, as well as sentences of between one and two years for adultery. Many women imprisoned for these crimes face barriers and stigma when seeking employment, which is why they are often subject to social isolation.

This is the case of Ouiam, a widow with a son who was imprisoned for having sexual relations outside of marriage. “Being a mother and not married, I live terrified in my town, no one talks to me (…) The people of the town treat me worse than ever,” she says.

Furthermore, those sons and daughters of unmarried women lack legal identity in the eyes of the legislation, since only paternal filiation is recognized within marriage. In this way, the Family Code denies the right of these minors to receive financial support or inheritances, leading them to poverty and discrimination.

The Moroccan Civil Status Code also does not guarantee single women the right to receive the family book to register births and obtain official documents in order to receive basic services, such as health care, education or social benefits.

“The brave women who tell their sad story in this report inspire and demand action. It is time for the Moroccan authorities to put women’s sexual and reproductive rights first and break the silence and inaction of the State regarding abortion,” he says. the founding partner of Mobilizing for Rights Associate, Stephanie Willman Bordat.