Morocco will allow in new cases of abortion, including rape or serious fetal malformations and diseases, announced Friday, May 15 the Royal Palace, after a heated debate on the scourge of illegal abortions in the Kingdom.
Abortion in "some force majeure" will be allowed, especially during 'pregnancy (which) resulted from rape or incest ", or" severe deformities and incurable diseases that the fetus may contract ", said the statement issued after a royal audience at which the Ministers of Justice and Islamic Affairs and the President of the National Council of Human Rights (CNDH) presented their opinions.
This legalization will be limited only to these cases since the consultations have shown that "the overwhelming majority looks to the criminalization of illegal abortion", is written.
According to the same source, King Mohammed VI gave instructions to "translate the findings of these consultations into a draft legal provisions in order to include them in the penal code". An overhaul of the criminal code of Morocco is currently under debate.
The law previously allowed abortion only in cases where the health of the woman was in danger. For the rest, it punishes abortions (abortions) terms ranging from one to five years in prison.
The scourge of hundreds of clandestine abortions every day in Morocco resurfaced in the news earlier this year, resulting in a profound debate in public opinion. The king had taken up the case, calling for "wide consultations".
Although no official figures exist, associations estimate that between 600 and 800 illegal abortions are performed every day in the kingdom, sometimes in disastrous sanitary conditions.
At the same time, unwanted pregnancies reinforce the phenomenon of "single mothers" and the abandonment of children, up to 150 a day say NGOs.
