Afghanistan: Preventable maternal mortality | reprohealthlaw blog

June 9, 2026:

Afghanistan: Preventable maternal mortality | reprohealthlaw blog

Congratulations and thanks to Dr. Mohammad S. Razai and co-authors Seyed Aria Nejadghaderi, Soghra Khaliqi, Ghizal Haress and Rebecca J. Cook, whose article recently appeared in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics‘ special section on Ethical and Legal Issues in Reproductive Health, and is now freely available online.

Preventable maternal mortality in Afghanistan: Trends, lessons and recommendations, by Mohammad S Razai, Seyed Aria Nejadghaderi, Soghra Khaliqi, Ghizal Haress and Rebecca J. Cook, “ International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2026;173:1639–1645. Free Access. Abstract and PDF Online. Direct link to PDF

This article synthesizes recent peer-reviewed studies and institutional reports on maternal mortality following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and compares emerging patterns with the first Taliban period (1996–2001), when maternal mortality reached some of the highest levels recorded in conflict settings. Multiple data sources indicate worsening conditions after 2021, including sharp reductions in service utilization following funding interruptions, reported declines in access to antenatal and intrapartum care, and clinician-reported increases in delays and life-threatening obstetric complications. Modeling based on routine health data suggests that sustained reductions in coverage could result in thousands of additional maternal deaths annually. The acute difference between Afghanistan, especially since 2021, and many other fragile settings is that gender-based restrictions specifically target women’s and girls’ education, employment, and movement, directly affecting demand-side access and supply-side staffing capacity for maternal care, thus offending Afghanistan’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women.

RELATED RESOURCES:

United Nations Human Rights Council. Report on women’s and girls’ right to health in Afghanistan. Report of the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett. 2026. U.N. Report

World Health Organization. The Global Health Observatory. Maternal Deaths. WHO – Maternal deaths

World Health Organization. Strategies Towards Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM). WHO; 2015. WHO – Strategies re Preventable Maternal Mortality

Ethical and Legal Issues in Reproductive Health – 119 concise articles online. Ethical and Legal Issues webpage

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