Benin legalizes abortion

“At the request of the pregnant woman, voluntary termination of pregnancy may be authorized when the pregnancy is likely to aggravate or cause a situation of material, educational, professional or moral distress incompatible with the interests of the woman and / or the unborn child “, now stipulates the Beninese law relating to sexual and reproductive health. The National Assembly in Benin voted, on the night of Wednesday 20 to Thursday 21 October, to legalize abortion, previously banned except in exceptional circumstances, in the West African country.

“Unsafe abortions”

Authorities put forward dire conditions for illegal abortions to change the law. “Maternal mortality is still a tragedy in our country and unsafe abortions contribute 20% according to current figures. It is in the face of this health journey that the government has assumed its responsibilities”, explains the Minister of Health, Benjamin Hounkpatin, to the local press. He specifies that in Benin, “nearly 200 women die each year from complications of abortion.”

“(The passage of the law) relieves the sorrows of many women who, faced with the distress of an unwanted pregnancy, find themselves forced to put their lives on the line by practices of termination of pregnancy in unsafe conditions “

Benjamin Hounkpatin, Minister of Health

during a press conference

Pedagogy

The Minister of Health took care to clear the land as the pressure was so strong. The measure triggered an outcry from part of Benin society and in particular from the Episcopal Conference of Benin which, in a press release the day before, affirmed that “the legalization of abortion is the culture of death”. “Faced with such a serious decision, the Bishops of Benin remind everyone of their unconditional respect for the sacred and inviolable character of life, especially that of the innocent. Abortion is an inhuman act which destroys the life of the fetus, but also that of the mother in several respects “, say the leaders of the Catholic Church in Benin.

Abortion was previously prohibited in Benin except in exceptional circumstances, such as when the pregnancy was the consequence of rape or an incestuous relationship or in the event of a risk to the life of the woman.