Afghan Women Risk Their Lives Under Taliban Abortion Ban: Stories of Desperation and Danger

When Seeking Safety Means Risking Death

When Bahara was four months pregnant she went to a Kabul hospital begging for an abortion. The doctor's reply was blunt: "We're not allowed. If someone finds out, we will all end up in prison." Abortion in Afghanistan is illegal; both those who undergo terminations and those who assist can face imprisonment. Faced with poverty, family pressure and little hope for daughters under Taliban rule, many women take desperate and dangerous measures.

Desperate Measures, Grave Consequences

Bahara, 35 and a mother of four, said her unemployed husband ordered her to "find a solution" because he did not want a fifth daughter. With girls barred from secondary school, university and most jobs since the Taliban's 2021 return, families see few prospects for daughters. Following a neighbour's advice, she bought a herbal tea made from a species of mallow for the equivalent of about two dollars. The brew caused severe bleeding; surgeons later removed the remains of the foetus and she reports ongoing weakness.

"I told them I had fallen, but there were no marks on my body and they knew I was lying. They were angry but did not report me." — Bahara

Ethnobotanist Guadalupe Maldonado Andrade warns that such plants can be "very risky": incorrect doses may cause organ damage and life-threatening haemorrhage. Bahara's experience is one of several documented cases in which women resorted to herbal remedies, toxic tablets or even extreme physical trauma to end pregnancies.

Other Cases: Pills, Stones and Secret Procedures

Nesa, a 35-year-old farmer with eight daughters and one son, said a clinic quoted 10,000 Afghanis (about €130) for a termination — money she could not afford. She then obtained a medication from a pharmacy without a prescription that she was told would help; it was an antimalarial and led to severe bleeding and unconsciousness. Doctors later removed the foetal remains after she begged them not to report her.

Mariam, 22, became pregnant after an affair. Fearing the stigma and cost of help, her mother attempted a crude abortion by crushing her abdomen with a heavy stone. Mariam began bleeding, was taken to hospital and now suffers persistent stomach pain and depression.

Systemic Factors Worsening Reproductive Health

Health workers and international organisations report an increase in patients presenting with what hospitals record as "miscarriages"; clinicians suspect some conceal clandestine abortions. At the same time, access to contraception has declined: a UN source told AFP that budget constraints and the forced closure of family planning services mean fewer than half of Afghan women now have access to modern methods such as condoms, implants or pills.

Afghanistan already has among the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. Restrictions since 2021 have further weakened care: young women are barred from training as midwives or nurses in medical schools, and doctors say increased government checks have made hospitals reluctant to perform or document terminations even when women are in danger.

Legal Framework and Medical Ethics

Legally, abortion is permitted when a pregnant woman's life is gravely endangered, but approvals are reportedly rare in practice. Health ministry officials describe abortion as "taking a life" and emphasize religious and legal prohibitions, while acknowledging the risks associated with clandestine procedures. Some pharmacies sell misoprostol without prescription, and some clinics or practitioners charge prohibitively high fees, creating further barriers to safe care.

Human Cost

Worldwide, the Centre for Reproductive Rights estimates that only one third of women live in countries where abortion is available on demand, and illegal abortions contribute to an estimated 39,000 deaths a year globally. Afghan health workers express despair at their inability to provide safe reproductive care: "I feel for these women — I vowed to help them by becoming a doctor. But we can't," said a gynaecologist in eastern Afghanistan.

Key names and quotes have been preserved from interviews conducted by AFP. Several sources requested anonymity to avoid stigma or legal consequences.