A devastating tale unfolds in Afghanistan, where the Taliban's birth control ban has led to a reproductive health crisis, shattering the lives of countless women. Parwana, once renowned for her beauty, now sits in a state of confusion, having endured nine pregnancies and six miscarriages, often under immense pressure. Her mother, Sharifa, poignantly describes her as 'lost', broken by fear, violence, and the relentless cycle of pregnancies.
The informal ban, which began in 2023, has had a catastrophic impact on the country's healthcare system. Contraceptives have vanished, clinics have shut down, and complications go untreated. Doctors and midwives across multiple provinces report a similar pattern: supplies dwindling and eventually disappearing altogether.
Women from various provinces share their traumatic experiences. Shakiba, a mother of twelve, struggles with constant fatigue and hair loss. Now pregnant again, she is forbidden by her husband to seek contraception elsewhere, as their local clinic no longer provides it.
In the northern province of Jawzjan, a doctor who has run a clinic for decades describes the rapid disappearance of contraceptives after the Taliban's arrival. In Badghis, Taliban fighters ordered staff to destroy all contraceptives, threatening to close the clinic if they continued providing them.
Zarghona, who survived a life-threatening intestinal blockage after an earthquake, was warned by surgeons that another pregnancy could be fatal. Yet, with no access to contraception and a husband insisting on a daughter, she became pregnant again. She attempted to terminate the pregnancy with herbs and saffron and managed only one antenatal visit. Despite surviving the delivery, she continues to live in fear and constant pain, with no means of protection.
The United Nations and World Health Organization report that over 440 hospitals and clinics have closed or reduced services since international funding was cut. For rural women, this means hours of walking or giving birth at home, often alone. Midwives in isolated villages describe women bleeding for days before reaching a clinic.
The reproductive crisis is intertwined with Afghanistan's economic crisis. A doctor in Jawzjan estimates that 80% of pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished, with anemia, vitamin deficiencies, and low blood pressure, making it unsafe for them to carry pregnancies.
Domestic violence is a recurring theme in women's testimonies, causing miscarriages and serving as a control mechanism. Reyhana recounts how her sister, Sakina, a young widow, was beaten by her in-laws when she objected to marrying her brother-in-law, resulting in a miscarriage.
Hamida, a midwife in Kandahar, observes that violence is a leading cause of miscarriages, with many women carrying heavy loads or enduring beatings. Humaira, 38, reveals taking abortion pills when she discovered she was pregnant with a girl, fearing her husband's reaction.
In the central province of Ghor, a 15-year-old girl miscarried after carrying heavy water containers up a steep hill. In Herat, Shamsia worked in construction and brickmaking throughout her pregnancies, weakened further by breastfeeding her mother-in-law's baby. When a blood transfusion was recommended, her family refused, deeming it 'haram'.
Before the ban, rural clinics held sessions on birth spacing, but these programs have now ceased. Doctors fear speaking openly, as the Taliban's unwritten orders carry real consequences.
This crisis has left women broken, their bodies and minds ravaged by lethal pregnancies, untreated miscarriages, and the constant threat of violence. It is a stark reminder of the urgent need for reproductive rights and healthcare access, especially in times of political upheaval.
