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An article critique on a publication about Ethiopia’s safe abortion law and maternal mortality

Tesfaye H. Tufa
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Mekdes D. Feyissa
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Demeke Desta
Ipas Ethiopia
Getachew Bekele
Independent Consultant
Yirgu Gebrehiwot
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University
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  • Submited: July 25, 2022
  • Published: October 1, 2022

Abstract

Ethiopia is considered one of the early reproductive health champions in Africa by making huge reproductive health and rights reforms including changing its safe abortion law. A recent publication in Ethiopian Medical Journal by Calum Miller has presented a flawed argument on Ethiopia’s safe abortion law and maternal mortality trend over the period following legal reform. Miller claimed that abortion related mortality has already decreased before the legal reform in 2005 and the legal reform has only increased abortion incidence and abortion-related morbidity and mortality. Our review has shown that abortion related mortality was a leading cause of maternal mortality before the legal reform while currently contributing only less than 10%. We have selected outstanding arguments and presented a critique of Miller’s article.

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How to Cite
Tufa, T. H., Feyissa , M. D. ., Desta, D., Bekele, G. ., & Gebrehiwot , Y. (2022). An article critique on a publication about Ethiopia’s safe abortion law and maternal mortality. Ethiopian Medical Journal, 60(4). Retrieved from https://emjema.org/index.php/EMJ/article/view/2206

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