A months-long investigative report has revealed the growing desperation of Afghan women who are increasingly turning to unsafe and illegal methods to terminate pregnancies under the Taliban’s restrictive rule. With abortion banned and women facing the threat of imprisonment for undergoing or assisting the procedure, many are risking their health and lives in secret.

‘We will go to prison’: Hospitals refuse termination

When Bahara, a 35-year-old mother of four daughters, learnt she was four months pregnant again, she approached a Kabul hospital pleading for an abortion. A doctor refused, warning her:
“If someone finds out, we will all end up in prison.”

Abortion is illegal in Afghanistan, except when the mother’s life is at grave risk—a provision rarely approved in practice. Women and healthcare workers face severe punishment for involvement in any termination.

But Bahara was under pressure. Her unemployed husband demanded she “find a solution” because he did not want another daughter. With girls banned from secondary schools, universities and most jobs since the Taliban’s return in 2021, many families feel an economic and social burden attached to having girls.

Unable to seek medical help, Bahara followed a neighbour’s advice and bought a herbal mallow tea known to induce strong contractions. The severe bleeding that followed forced her back to the hospital, where doctors—sceptical of her explanation—removed the remains of the foetus but did not report her.

Ethnobotanists warn that such plants can cause life-threatening haemorrhage and organ damage.

Not isolated: A growing pattern of hidden abortions

AFP’s investigation found several similar stories. Two other women—Nesa and Mariam—attempted abortions using harmful methods. Nesa ingested dangerous tablets, while Mariam’s family placed a heavy stone on her stomach in an attempt to terminate her pregnancy. Both women were later hospitalised.

Of the dozen women interviewed, only five agreed to speak under anonymity due to fear of stigma, retaliation and arrest.

Medical professionals told AFP that since 2021, hospitals have recorded a rise in “miscarriages”—a term some believe masks clandestine abortions, given the nature of injuries and psychological distress many patients display.

Two international medical organisations also reported similar trends. Access to contraception, meanwhile, has become severely restricted.

A UN source noted that fewer than half of Afghan women currently have access to contraception, largely due to the closure of family planning services and budget constraints.

Doctors fearful as Taliban tighten checks

The Taliban have not changed previous abortion laws but have intensified inspections at hospitals, leaving doctors afraid to assist women.

A 58-year-old gynaecologist in Kabul explained:
“Before, NGOs helped us, and there were fewer checks. Now, even prescriptions at pharmacies are monitored. Doctors are scared.”

Some pharmacies illicitly sell misoprostol—an abortion drug—without prescription, while others exploit the situation by demanding exorbitant fees unaffordable to most families.

In one case, Nesa, pregnant with her tenth child and fearing her husband’s reaction to having another daughter, was asked to pay 10,000 Afghanis (around €130) by a clinic. Unable to afford it, she resorted to an unsafe drug from a pharmacy and nearly died.

Criminalisation deepens gender inequality

The social and political environment under the Taliban—where women are barred from education, most work sectors and healthcare training—continues to erode women’s autonomy.

Mariam, just 22, said her attempt to end an unwanted pregnancy led to long-term pain and trauma. Pregnancies outside marriage pose an even greater danger in Afghanistan, where “honour killings” remain a threat.

Global research shows that illegal abortions cause around 39,000 deaths annually, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Afghanistan’s maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the world, worsened by restrictions that prevent women from becoming nurses or midwives.

Healthcare workers say they feel helpless.
“I vowed to help these women by becoming a doctor,” said a gynaecologist in Nangarhar. “But we can’t.”

A humanitarian crisis behind closed doors

The investigation reveals a grim reality: severe restrictions, social stigma and shrinking healthcare access are pushing Afghan women toward desperate and dangerous measures. While the Taliban argue abortion is “taking a life”, experts emphasise that criminalisation merely forces women into life-threatening situations.

With little hope for policy reform and women increasingly cut off from medical support systems, Afghanistan faces a silent but escalating public health emergency.