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Table 2 Timeline of Ethiopia's reform of its Penal Code with respect to abortion

From: Agenda setting and socially contentious policies: Ethiopia’s 2005 reform of its law on abortion

Ethiopian government

EPRDF government comes to power

 

National policies on Population, Women, and Health issued

 

Enactment of Federal Constitution (Articles 25, 35 on women’s rights)

   

Women’s Affairs Standing Committee of the House holds workshop on Penal Code

•Parliamentarians direct Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to propose revisions to 1957 Penal Code

•Revised Family Code goes into effect

•Release of two executive branch drafts of new Penal Code with no change related to abortion

 

•Two draft Penal Code reform versions from MOJ & FILR (Federal Institute of Legal Reform) sent to Parliament

•FILR releases amended draft Penal Code proposing decriminalization of abortion

•Government—NGO AdvocacyWorking Group (AWG) convened

•Regional meetings on Penal Code reform with AWG contributions

•Senior executive branch policy committee votes to decriminalize abortion

•Parliament directs Legal Affairs committee to seek input from public and experts and reconcile executive branch Penal Code drafts

•Week-long workshop for full Parliament on RH and HTP issues in draft Penal Code

•“Silent Scream” screened for full Parliament

•Revised Penal Code approved without debate

•New Penal Code goes into effect

•National elections—crackdown on opposition

MOH Technical Guidance on Abortion issued

  

Enforcement begins of Civil Society Organizations Law restricting NGO advocacy

Ethiopian civil society

 

•Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ESOG) founded

•Ethiopian Midwives Association (EMwA) founded

 

ESOG 2nd Annual Meeting topic: unsafe abortion

Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) founded

   

ESOG 7th Annual Meeting topic: "Illegal and Unsafe Abortion"

EWLA workshops held on FGM and development of Penal Code reform recommendations

Televised symposium on unsafe abortion ESOG, WALTA Information Center

•ESOG research and reform recommendations released

•ESOG President publicly calls for liberalization of the abortion law

•Anti-abortion demonstrations in Addis

•EOC Patriarch condemns any liberalization of the law

      

National/ International

  

Ethiopian President opens International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)

Kenyan ob-gyn presents to ESOG on abortion law reform

   

Ramp up of Packard Foundation funding for reproductive health

Ipas establishes office in Addis

Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia refuses to sign GGR, is barred from receiving US funding

        

International activities and actors

International Safe Motherhood conference in nearby Nairobi

  

International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo

Fourth International Conference on Women (Beijing)

    

U.S. Mexico City Policy (Global Gag Rule or GGR) reinstituted, barring support to non-US NGOs in any way involved with abortion

        

U.S. Mexico City Policy/ GGR rescinded

 

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009