Amnesty International in Morocco calls for decriminalization of abortion for health reasons

In 2024, Amnesty International Morocco launched a campaign that is expected to continue until 2027 to raise awareness of the dangers of clandestine abortion to women, the fetus, and society, and to demand the legalization of abortion in the Kingdom.

The Moroccan website Hespress reported that the campaign, which followed a report published by Amnesty Morocco entitled “My Life Was Ruined The Need to Stop Criminalizing Abortion in Morocco,” knocked on the doors of official officials in the Kingdom and presented its arguments in the media. Civil coordination and internal campaigns are currently underway to provide training on the conclusions and principles that legitimize the demand.

An Amnesty International source said that they are asking the authorities to consider the health conditions of those subjected to clandestine abortions and the consequences of criminalizing abortion, explaining that they have sent copies of the report to Parliament, the heads of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, the heads of parliamentary groups, and the National Council for Human Rights.

The source added, "We are trying to communicate with all organizations and associations that can coordinate with us, to demand that the authorities, especially the Ministers of Justice and Health, look into cases that were victims of the criminalization of abortion."

He continued, "We are also trying to get closer to civil society through associations that demand the same rights, namely women's rights and the preservation of their health and physical safety."

He stated that the latest stop was at the "Bar Association Club" in Rabat during a youth forum in order to "raise awareness of the dangers of criminalizing abortion, and to present the report's conclusions, expectations, and action plan for the coming years of the campaign."

The latest report by Amnesty International Morocco called for “adherence to international human rights standards, decriminalization of abortion and removal of it from the scope of law enforcement as a criminal matter, and placing it under the authority of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection as a medical matter, and repealing all provisions of the Penal Code that criminalize seeking, performing, or assisting in obtaining information, goods, medicines, or services related to abortion.”

The report pointed out that the official ban on abortion does not mean that abortion is not performed in Morocco, but rather that it increases “women’s suffering in this regard” through inhaling some toxic gases, hitting the abdomen, or swallowing medications in an irregular manner, for example, but not limited to.

In addition to calling for the decriminalization of abortion, Amnesty International Morocco calls on the Moroccan government to “repeal all provisions of the Penal Code that criminalize extramarital relations, and amend this law and the Code of Civil Procedure to ensure effective protection for all women from sexual and gender-based violence,” in addition to “expunging the criminal records of all women who have been convicted of having extramarital sexual relations or seeking an abortion, and reforming the provisions relating to lineage and identity documents in the Family Code and the Code of Civil Status, in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination and exclusion against single mothers and children born out of wedlock.”