Such deaths are preventable — but all too common in Ethiopia. In Africa’s second most populous country, a woman has a one in seven chance of dying from a pregnancy-related cause. Unsafe abortion is a significant factor in injuries and deaths among Ethiopian females; abortion with sepsis (a toxic and often fatal blood condition) is the sixth leading cause of hospital admissions for Ethiopian women and girls.

As in much of the developing world, giving birth or terminating a pregnancy is often a hazardous part of life. Yet, for most of Ethiopia’s modern history, safe abortion services have been unavailable. The 1957 Penal Code allowed abortions only to save the life or health of the woman. Combined with contraceptive shortages, low usage of available methods and high rates of sexual violence, the restrictive law compelled many Ethiopian women and teenagers to employ unskilled abortion providers.

But in 2004, the Ethiopian Parliament promulgated one of Africa’s most progressive abortion laws. Under the revisions, the new penal code expanded the indications for abortion, adding rape, incest, fetal abnormality and a woman’s physical or mental disabilities. The Parliament also approved abortion for minors who are physically or psychologically unable to care for a child. This is a particularly significant change for Ethiopia, where the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that 45 percent of those who seek abortions are younger than 18.

Based in Addis Ababa, Ipas Ethiopia collaborated with government, health professional's associations, reproductive health organizations and human rights advocates to discuss the penal code revisions. Ipas Ethiopia played an active role in developing and disseminating standards for implementing the law, which were released in July 2006, and will continue its advocacy and help health providers prepare as the reformed law is put into practice.

Ipas Ethiopia works to expand access to postabortion care (PAC) and raise awareness about preventing unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion. As part of that objective, Ipas Ethiopia undertakes community education and services in five Ethiopian states.

Ipas Ethiopia ensures that abortion and PAC providers are able to give high-quality care to their patients. It trains providers, including community-based reproductive health agents, and will establish regional training centers that will serve as model clinics. Ipas Ethiopia’s training efforts are supported by a monitoring program that consists of extensive follow-up visits to PAC facilities, where it ensures trainees have the technical capacity and managerial support to provide safe abortion services. It also donates equipment to health centers and facilitates the distribution of manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) technology throughout the Ethiopian market.

As Ethiopia charts new ground with its abortion law, Ipas Ethiopia is becoming a regional leader in establishing reproductive health networks. In 2005, it hosted participants from Kenya and Uganda for a meeting about how to deal with growing anti-choice opposition. In March 2006, it played host again to global scientists, advocates and journalists in a massive meeting that saw the creation of Africa’s first continent-wide body dedicated to researching the public-health problem of unsafe abortion.

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