Congo
Grounds on which abortion is permitted
To save the life of the woman Yes*
To preserve physical health No
To preserve mental health No
Rape or incest No
Foetal impairment No
Economic or social reasons No
Available on request No
Additional requirements
An abortion reportedly requires authorization by a committee of physicians.
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* The abortion law does not expressly allow abortions to be performed to save the life of the woman, but the general principles of criminal legislation allow abortions to be performed for this reason on grounds of necessity. In addition, reports suggest that abortion is permitted to protect the health of the pregnant woman.
Government view of fertility level: Too high
Government intervention concerning fertility level: To lower
Government policy on contraceptive use: Direct support provided
Percentage of currently married women using
modern contraception (aged 15-49): ..
Total fertility rate (1995-2000): 6.1
Age-specific fertility rate (per 1,000 women aged 15-19; 1995-2000): 141
Government has expressed particular concern about:
Morbidity and mortality resulting from induced abortion Yes
Complications of childbearing and childbirth Yes
Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births; 1990):
National 890
Middle Africa 950
Female life expectancy at birth (1995-2000): 51
Source: The Population Policy Data Bank maintained by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. For additional sources, see list of references.
Congo
Under the Congolese abortion law, which is based on the French Penal Code of 1810 (section 317), no exceptions are stated to a general prohibition on the performance of abortions. Nonetheless, under the general principles of criminal law, an abortion can be performed to save the life of the pregnant woman, and reports indicate that abortions are also permitted to protect the health of the pregnant woman.
Clandestine abortion is widely practiced in the Congo. Several studies have documented the high incidence of abortion in various areas of the country. Many of the women obtaining abortions are young and unmarried. According to the Government’s 1992-1996 Action Plan for National Health Development, induced abortion is the leading cause of maternal death in the Congo. In response to the high rates of maternal mortality and infertility caused by complications of induced abortion, the Government requested international assistance in 1979 to integrate family planning services into its maternal and child health programme. In 1988 the Government officially recognized the Congolese Association for Family Well-being (Association Congolaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial/ACBEF), an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Although the French anticontraception laws of 1920 are still in effect, the Government permits access to contraception by prescription. Contraceptives are available in government and private clinics, as well as in pharmacies. However, pronatalist attitudes, poor communication infrastructure, male resistance and poor understanding of family planning messages are some of the factors that have impeded the use of modern family planning methods.
Since the early 1980s, the reform of current abortion laws has been under consideration in the Congo. The Government is aware that the law is becoming increasingly unenforceable, given the large number of abortions that are currently performed; however, legal restrictions have not been eased, even though abortions are performed in some government hospitals.
Source: The Population Policy Data Bank maintained by the Population Division of the Department of International Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. For additional sources, see list of references.