‘FETUS DELETUS’: The Silent Crisis Killing Women in Eswatini
By Delisa Magagula
Today, I speak to you as a woman to woman, a plea rooted in heartbreak and urgency. Why are we allowing innocent lives to be lost, fetuses discarded like refuse, faster than we can say ‘strap up’?? In 2025, with protected sex accessible and affordable, why does the blood of our own children stain our hands?
This week, a mother disposing of household rubbish in KaLanga? stumbled upon a fully developed male fetus, wrapped and discarded in a refuse bag, a chilling symbol of silent tragedy in our communities.
Police swiftly arrested a woman nearby, charged with concealment of birth. Days earlier, another woman faced similar charges in Maphungwane. These are not isolated incidents; they are stark evidence that abortion is occurring here, only in secrecy and peril.
Why carry a child to term only to erase its existence in secret? Have we collectively hardened our hearts? And where, I ask, is male accountability? Who stands responsible when fathers deny their children born of their own bodies?
The law in Eswatini remains clear yet restrictive: abortion is only legal to save a woman’s life or health, if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, or if the fetus has severe abnormalities. Outside these narrow grounds, women and those who assist them are criminalized, with punishments including imprisonment.
his legal vacuum leaves women who qualify struggling to access safe procedures. Doctors hesitate, and hospitals lack clear protocols. Women, desperate and fearful, resort to unsafe methods, detergents, sticks, unregulated pills, some live; many do not.
Health workers grow silent, fearing legal repercussions even as they treat life-threatening complications. Meanwhile, fake and expired pills flood the market, profiting from desperation.
Our government’s response is lacking. While abortion remains taboo, the reality demands urgent attention, not moralizing but safeguarding health.
Faith leaders denounce abortion as murder of the unborn, urging prevention through moral education, family strengthening, and abstinence. Health advocates push for practical reforms: accessible contraception, open dialogue, and safe services.
Between these poles are women trapped by poverty, violence, and misinformation, making impossible choices in impossible circumstances.
Unsafe abortion is among the leading causes of maternal death in Eswatini, though deaths are barely recorded. Statistics are hidden, silence enforced, as women suffer alone.
If we are to save lives, we must face this issue openly. Parliament should expand legal grounds for abortion, including socio-economic hardship and gender-based violence. Punitive laws must give way to compassionate, health-centered policies.
Healthcare providers need training in emergency and post-abortion care to save lives without stigma or fear. Family planning must be universal, with comprehensive, respectful sexual education and male involvement.
Decriminalizing abortion seekers will not degrade society, it will restore dignity and protect lives.
Until Eswatini shatters the silence, women will keep dying in shadows, and every discarded fetus will mark a failure to confront truth. Let us find courage, honesty, compassion, and urgency, to end this tragic cycle.