Trends of Abortion in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa

Keita Ohashi, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Francophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa had been more resistant to induced abortion. Their cultural heritage from France had been influential in strengthening their pronatalist position regarding contraception and abortion. Most of them inherited the judicial system and cultural value from France, which have been transmitted to Francophone countries. However, cultural and behavioral changes in reproductive health have begun in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa since the mid-1990s after the paradigm shift on population policy with the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994. Some women have started to use contraception for birth limitation. Induced abortion to prevent unintended pregnancy has been increasingly liberalized in some settings. In this study, the changing contexts for induced abortion in Francophone countries will be reviewed. Recent step undertaken by Benin to legalize abortion in most circumstances shows that Francophone countries may be overcoming their cultural barriers and adapting universal human rights based reproductive behaviors.