Ethiopia Counters American Anti-Abortion Messaging

Ethiopian healthcare workers are fighting against a rising wave of anti-abortion misinformation that threatens to undo two decades of progress in reducing maternal mortality. The current battle reflects a growing influence of U.S.-based anti-abortion groups on Ethiopian politics and public opinion.

“They had a look in their eyes. It was a plea to be saved from their misery,” recalls Hanna, a nurse with 47 years of experience, describing women she treated for botched abortions in the 1980s. In those days, she routinely removed grass, wood fragments, and dangerous chemical substances from patients’ bodies, many of whom could not be saved despite medical intervention.

Prior to 2005, abortion in Ethiopia was only permitted to save a pregnant woman’s life. The restrictive law resulted in tens of thousands of preventable deaths, with unsafe abortions accounting for a third of all maternal deaths between 1980 and 1999.

Following extensive advocacy by healthcare workers, women’s rights groups, and legal professionals, Ethiopia reformed its abortion law in 2005. The revised legislation permits termination in additional circumstances, including pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. This reform transformed Ethiopia into a success story, with maternal mortality dropping by 70 percent by 2020 as facilities across the country began providing safe abortion care.

However, these hard-won gains now face significant challenges from a well-coordinated anti-abortion movement. Abebe Shibru, a physician and country director at MSI Reproductive Choices, notes that opposition tactics have evolved. “Before, the anti-choice groups were targeting the public, they were more visible, shouting, demonstrating and telling people abortion is a sin,” he explained. “Now they are targeting politicians, decision-makers, safe abortion practitioners—they are trying to cripple the system.”

In response, the Coalition of Comprehensive Abortion Care was established in 2019 to counter misinformation and strengthen public support for safe abortion access. “We used to have a very quiet approach to providing abortion services. This is no longer an option,” Shibru said. MSI reports anecdotal evidence of increasing post-abortion complications, suggesting women are again turning to unsafe methods.

The anti-abortion movement in Ethiopia has direct connections to U.S. organizations. Ethiopian advocacy groups have traced links between local influencers and American organizations such as Family Watch International (designated as a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center) and Heartbeat International, which describes itself as working to make abortion “unthinkable.”

A prominent figure in Ethiopia’s anti-abortion movement is physician Seyoum Antonios, who heads United for Life Ethiopia and serves as the Africa division director for Family Watch International. Antonios reaches young people through social media, school debates, community events, and media appearances. Like many anti-abortion groups globally, his organization also opposes LGBTQ+ rights.

The messaging from opposition groups has shifted strategically following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States. While they previously framed abortion access as a Western imposition that threatened Ethiopian values, they now argue that Ethiopia should follow America’s example in restricting abortion rights.

Pro-choice advocates face significant risks in their work. In Ethiopia’s deeply religious context, where same-sex relations remain criminalized, speaking out for abortion rights can result in severe stigmatization. Woineshet Tibebu of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association notes that advocates are increasingly characterized as evil or anti-family. “You will end up being immediately stigmatized if you want to go and teach about abortions,” she said.

Despite these challenges, the Coalition of Comprehensive Abortion Care aims to fully decriminalize abortion. The group has allies in parliament, including connections to Ethiopia’s current health minister, Mekdes Daba, who previously chaired the coalition.

The ongoing struggle in Ethiopia reflects a broader global tension between reproductive rights and religious values, with the outcome likely depending on which message resonates more strongly with the public: abortion as a sin or as a lifesaving healthcare service.