UN Warns Pregnant Women’s Health at Risk in Afghanistan

The United Nations has warned that ensuring pregnant women in Afghanistan have access to essential health services is critical amid contraceptive restrictions.

Pregnant women in Afghanistan must have uninterrupted access to health services, the U.N. Population Fund said on Monday, warning that maternal care is a life-saving necessity in a country with one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. The agency’s message came as concerns mounted over new restrictions affecting women’s access to reproductive and maternity care.

UNFPA said access to maternal health care is “non-negotiable,” stressing that Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be pregnant. According to UNFPA’s Afghanistan profile, the country records about 620 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, and a woman dies from preventable pregnancy-related complications roughly every two hours.

The warning came after reports that morality inspectors in Herat had shut parts of the provincial maternity hospital and warned against providing contraceptive pills and condoms to women. Those reported moves have intensified fears among health workers and rights advocates that already fragile maternal and reproductive health services could face deeper disruption.

The World Health Organization has also underscored that health policy should be guided by science, not ideology, as it marked World Health Day 2026 under the theme “Together for health. Stand with science.” WHO said evidence-based public health action is essential to protecting lives, particularly in crisis-hit countries with weak health systems.

Medical experts say restricting access to contraception and reproductive counselling can raise the risks of unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortion, maternal illness and pregnancy-related deaths. WHO says contraceptive services are fundamental to health and human rights and help reduce maternal ill-health and preventable deaths by allowing women to space and plan pregnancies more safely.

Afghanistan’s health system has been under severe pressure from conflict, poverty, displacement and funding shortages, with women and girls among the hardest hit. WHO estimates that 14.4 million people in Afghanistan will need health assistance in 2026, while UNFPA says millions of women still struggle to reach life-saving reproductive and maternal care, especially in remote and conservative areas.

UNFPA’s latest warning reflects growing concern that any further restrictions on maternity and reproductive services could have deadly consequences for Afghan women. In a country already burdened by one of the region’s worst maternal health crises, even limited disruptions can quickly become life-threatening.

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