Agency of France-Press (AFP) has reported that due to the cultural and economic conditions in Afghanistan, some women in the country are aborting their fetuses, particularly female fetuses.
Bahara (pseudonym), 35, says her husband ordered her to abort the fetus because he did not want their next child to be a girl. She stated: ‘We can barely feed our daughters as it is. If it were a boy, he could go to school or work.
With the Taliban’s return to Afghanistan, women and girls have been banned from schools, training centers, medical institutes, and universities, and the group has taken away their right to work. According to Agency of France-Press: ‘There is no outlook for a girl in Afghanistan.
For this reason, Bahara bought some herbs from the market, on the advice of a neighbor, which cause uterine contractions.
Her bleeding became so severe that she had to go to the hospital. She said: ‘I told them I had fallen, but they knew I was lying because there were no signs of a fall on my body. They were angry, but they didn’t report me.’ Doctors surgically removed the remains of the fetus from her uterus.
The herb she used, according to herbalists, is very dangerous, and incorrect consumption can lead to organ damage and severe bleeding.
Nisa (pseudonym), a mother of eight daughters and one son, found out four months into her pregnancy that the fetus was a girl. She said: ‘I knew my husband would throw me out of the house if he found out. He thinks that having a son is better for us.’
She added: ‘I pleaded with a health center to help me. They asked for 10,000 Afghanis, which I didn’t have. I went to a pharmacy and got malaria medicine without a prescription. They said it would help.’ Nisa continued: ‘The bleeding started, and I lost consciousness. They took me to the hospital, and I begged the doctors not to report me. They removed the fetal remains.’
Maryam (pseudonym), 22, who had sexual relations outside of marriage, says: ‘I was one month pregnant. My mother contacted a midwife, but she asked for a lot of money. So, my mother took me home, placed a very heavy stone on my abdomen, and compressed my stomach.’
She added: ‘I screamed, and the bleeding started. I went to the hospital, and they said the fetus was gone. Now I am depressed and constantly have abdominal pain.
Abortion is illegal in Afghanistan, and individuals may be imprisoned for performing or assisting with it.
Only one-third of women globally live in countries where abortion on demand is legal. Around 39,000 women worldwide die annually due to unsafe illegal abortions.
