Afghanistan’s Silent Crisis: Taliban Ban on Contraception Shatters Women’s Lives
More than 440 hospitals and clinics have closed or reduced services in Afghanistan as 2023, as a de facto ban on contraception imposed by the Taliban plunges the nation’s reproductive health system into freefall, leaving countless women facing unwanted pregnancies, life-threatening complications, and escalating violence.
Parwana*, 36, once known for her beauty in Kandahar province, now sits on the floor of her mother’s home, rocking silently. After nine pregnancies and six miscarriages – manny occurring under pressure from her husband and in-laws – she has slipped into a permanent state of confusion. “She is lost,” says her mother, Sharifa. “They broke her wiht fear, pregnancies and violence.”
The ban, never formally announced, began to spread across Afghanistan in early 2023. Doctors and midwives in multiple provinces reported a disturbing pattern: contraceptive supplies arriving late, then in dwindling quantities, and ultimately, not at all. The impact has been swift and devastating.
“If we see you give this to women again, we will close your clinic,” Taliban fighters reportedly warned healthcare providers, according to accounts from across the country.This chilling message has instilled fear and forced clinics to cease offering vital reproductive healthcare services.
Women from seven provinces shared harrowing experiences with The Guardian and Zan Times, detailing traumas of unwanted pregnancies, untreated miscarriages, and inescapable violence. Shakiba*, 42, a mother of 12 from Kandahar city, is now pregnant again, unable to rise without feeling faint, her hair falling out, and her bones constantly aching. her local clinic no longer provides contraceptives,and her husband forbids her from seeking them elsewhere.
The crisis extends beyond access to contraception. In rural Jawzjan province, a doctor with three decades of experiance witnessed the rapid disappearance of supplies. “After the Taliban came, the contraceptives started reducing. Within months, they were gone,” she stated. “Before, at least 30 out of 70 women who came to the clinic needed birth control. Now we tell them: we have nothing.”
The situation is compounded by the closure of clinics due to international aid cuts. Afghans now wait at overstretched hospital pharmacies, such as one in Ghazni province where 30 clinics have shuttered, exacerbating the Taliban’s healthcare restrictions.
In Badghis province, a doctor at a private clinic recounted a direct confrontation with Taliban fighters who ordered the destruction of all contraceptive supplies.”We stopped immediately,” she said, fearing repercussions for defying the order.
The consequences are tragically visible in the increasing number of women suffering from complications related to unwanted pregnancies. in Kunduz province, a woman died after a botched illegal abortion. In Balkh province, another woman, unable to access post-natal care, succumbed to infection. “I used to walk an hour and reach the clinic.”
the desperation has driven some women to dangerous measures. Humaira*,38,took abortion pills after discovering she was pregnant with a girl,fearing abuse from her husband who desired a son. her story is echoed by others in Kandahar and Jawzjan who described forced, self-induced, or abuse-related miscarriages after learning of female fetuses.
In Ghor province, a 15-year-old girl miscarried after carrying two full jerrycans of water up a steep hill, too ashamed to seek help until it was too late. In Herat province, Shamsia*, 38, worked through her pregnancies in construction and brickmaking, forced by her mother-in-law to breastfeed her baby while her own health deteriorated.When a doctor recommended a blood transfusion,her family refused,deeming it “haram” (forbidden).
Prior to the informal ban, rural clinics offered regular sessions on birth spacing. These programs have now been halted.”There is no purpose in giving awareness when there is no medicine,” one doctor explained. “The Taliban have not given written orders, but the fear is real. If we speak openly,they may shut us down.”
The stories of parwana, Shakiba, Zarghona, and countless others paint a grim picture of a nation where women’s bodies and futures are being systematically controlled, and where a silent crisis is unfolding with devastating consequences.
