Zimbabwean news media discourses on the intersection of abortion, religion, health and the law

Abstract

Even though abortion has a long history, it remains predominantly contentious due to religious, medical and legal constraints. For instance, in Zimbabwe, abortion is illegal except under limited circumstances. This has resulted in women resorting to unsafe abortion procedures, leading to an increase in individuals and groups calling for the liberalization of abortion laws. It is against this background that this article uses qualitative content analysis and rhetoric analysis to explore how Zimbabwean daily newspapers frame abortion in relation to religion, health and the law. It contends that the newspapers in question assume conflicting positions as the Chronicle largely condemns abortion while the Daily News boldly calls for its decriminalization. The NewsDay and The Herald, on the other hand, relatively tolerate abortion even though in some instances they condemn it. These findings demonstrate the active role of the news media in arguing for and against abortion to influence policy making.