Avortement au Maroc et virage au drame: femmes et professionnels de santé en parlent ! Une étude transversale mixte à Agadir

Globally, unsafe abortion represents a significant public health challenge, contributing to maternal mortality and morbidity while straining healthcare resources worldwide. Despite the likely magnitude of the unsafe abortion problem in Morocco, limited data are available on this issue. This research endeavours to examine the abortion landscape from the perspectives of women and healthcare professionals in the Agadir Idaoutanane prefecture in southern Morocco. We conducted a mixed-method cross-sectional study from January to September 2018, involving 266 women who completed questionnaires, and 45 interviews with women and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) professionals. Quantitative data were descriptively analysed, while qualitative data from individual interviews underwent thematic content analysis. The study findings reveal that pregnancies resulting in abortion are influenced by a complex interplay of multidimensional factors. Lack of information on SRH and contraceptive failure are prominent contributors to unintended pregnancies. Abortion is a highly sensitive and stigmatised topic, with detrimental effects on an individual’s social standing. Access to abortion services displays significant disparities and diverse pathways. This study contributes to the understanding of the abortion phenomenon in Morocco and emphasises the need for urgent political action on various fronts, including access to comprehensive reproductive and sexual education programmes and suitable contraception, broadening the indications for abortion as proposed in the legislation, implementing strategies to combat the stigmatisation of abortion by healthcare professionals, and ensuring access to high-quality post-abortion care.