Claim: In an article titled “They Called Me Dr. Abortion” (archived here), published in The Nation newspaper on June 30, 2025, Matthews Ngwale, the outgoing chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, claimed that many Malawian women were committing suicide because they could not face the world with an unwanted pregnancy.

Verdict: FALSE.

Methodology: The information used in this fact-check was gathered from news articles, reports, interviews and recent data on Malawi’s suicide rates, mental health and reproductive health. Reviewing data from academic research, health surveys, police statistics, and non-governmental organisation reports was part of the research process.

The goal of the research was to find any concrete statistical or compelling anecdotal data that would directly connect unintended pregnancies and female suicide.

Evidence and Analysis:

According to police records, the number of suicides in Malawi has significantly increased in recent years, indicating that the country’s suicide rates are rising. Nonetheless, the data repeatedly demonstrates that men are much more likely than women to die by suicide.

For example, of the 153 suicide cases that occurred in the first quarter of 2025, 125 included men and 28 involved women. In a similar vein, 246 men and 35 women made up the 281 suicide deaths that occurred between January and June of 2024.

Malawi Police Service Spokesperson Peter Kalaya said they have not recorded any cases of women committing suicide because of unwanted pregnancy.

The primary drivers of suicide in Malawi, according to police and mental health experts, are relationship problems, marital disputes, financial stress, and economic hardship.

Cultural norms that discourage men from expressing emotions and seeking help are cited as a major contributing factor to the high suicide rate among males. For young people, relationship issues and unrealistic parental expectations are also noted as significant factors.

While direct links between unwanted pregnancy and suicide are not prominent in the data, the context of reproductive and mental health in Malawi reveals significant challenges for women.

A 2023 study focusing on adolescents found that 68% of pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 19 were unintended. These pregnancies are often driven by poverty, lack of education, sexual violence, and limited access to contraception.

Abortion in Malawi is illegal except to save the life of the woman. This leads many women with unwanted pregnancies to seek clandestine and often unsafe abortions.

An estimated 141,000 abortions occurred in 2015, with about 60% resulting in complications requiring medical care. There are tragic reports of young girls dying from complications of unsafe abortions after becoming pregnant from sexual assault.

Conclusion:  FALSE. The claim that women in Malawi are taking their own lives due to unwanted pregnancies is an oversimplification and is not directly supported by current data. However, the available reports and statistics on suicide do not specifically list unwanted pregnancy as a primary cause.

This fact-check was produced by Collins Mtika of the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi (CIJM) as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance’s (AFCA) incubation programme. It was produced with peer mentorship from Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, PesaCheck, with financial support from Norway.

AFCA mentorship respects the journalistic independence of the researchers, offering access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains with the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi. Want to learn more? Visit: https://factcheck.africa/