New Taliban Decree Bans Women from Medical Training: A Devastating Decision for Women’s Health in Afghanistan

"This devastating decision has crushed the hopes of hundreds of women who aspired to pursue an education and serve their communities," Manizha Bakhtari, ambassador and permanent representative of Afghanistan in Austria, told Fox News Digital.

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The Taliban has reportedly banned women in Afghanistan from attending nursing and midwifery classes, marking another significant setback for women’s rights following their takeover. This latest directive effectively shuts down one of the final pathways for women seeking education.

Manizha Bakhtari, ambassador and permanent representative of Afghanistan in Austria, expressed to Fox News Digital, “This devastating decision has crushed the hopes of hundreds of women who aspired to pursue an education and serve their communities.”

According to Human Rights Watch, the decree was issued by the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and conveyed by the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health during a meeting with private medical institutions.

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This new ban follows earlier restrictions imposed by the Taliban on secondary education for girls and higher education for women, effectively extinguishing the last glimmer of hope for young women in Afghanistan.

Ambassador Bakhtari, who also represents Afghanistan at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, stated that the ban is not only a severe violation of human rights but also a significant setback for the development of Afghanistan.

“Preventing women from participating in essential professions will lead to higher maternal and neonatal mortality rates, undermining the country’s health system and progress,” she added.

Women enrolled in nursing and midwifery courses have been ordered to cease attendance. These programs provided women one of the few remaining opportunities to secure a profession that was not affected by the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s employment since 2021.

U.N. Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett remarked on X that the “inexplicable and unjustifiable” announcement will have a devastating impact on the entire population if it is enforced and must be reversed.

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A lack of adequate health care services has left Afghanistan’s population vulnerable to disease and even routine illnesses that could be managed with basic medical services. The prohibition against women studying at medical institutions jeopardizes the health of the entire Afghan population, which is in desperate need of healthcare workers.

Rural communities will be disproportionately affected by the Taliban’s latest ban, where cultural norms often prevent male doctors from treating female patients.

Afghanistan has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates globally and is deemed one of the most perilous places on Earth for childbirth. The World Bank reports that 620 women die per 100,000 live births due to pregnancy-related causes, while the World Health Organization estimated that 24 women die daily during childbirth or pregnancy in 2020.

The ban on medical training for women is likely to exacerbate Afghanistan’s escalating humanitarian crisis, which has deteriorated since the Taliban assumed control and the international community significantly reduced financial support due to the Taliban’s oppressive policies against women.

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In 2023, over 23 million people required humanitarian assistance, according to the U.N., which also reported that 4 million Afghans were malnourished, including 3.2 million children under five years old.

Afghanistan remains the only country globally where women and girls are barred from secondary and higher education, as well as many sectors of the economy and government, per Human Rights Watch.

The Taliban have reneged on all commitments made following their takeover of Kabul to uphold women’s rights. In September 2021, shortly after toppling the U.S.-backed Afghan Republic, the Taliban prohibited young girls from attending secondary school after the sixth grade and subsequently banned women from higher education in December 2022.

The U.N. and international NGOs have urged the Taliban to repeal this directive and their other oppressive policies towards women.

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