Five times the rate of termination approvals under 19 — and what the state built in response

Two government documents, two years apart, tell one story together. We read both.

The numbers

From the Knesset Research and Information Center paper "Data on the health status of Ethiopian-Israelis" (10 July 2024):

In 2022, the rate of pregnancy terminations per 1,000 women of childbearing age among women born in Ethiopia was 17.6, against 7.5 among Jewish and other women excluding immigrants, and 7.1 in the general population.
The rate of termination-committee approvals among Ethiopia-born women under 19 was 17.4 — five times the rate among Jewish and other women excluding immigrants (3.5).
For comparison: in 2019 the overall rate among Ethiopia-born women was 26.3 against 8.4. The gap is narrowing — and remains large.

From the same paper, on screening: in 2019–2022, mammography uptake among Ethiopia-born women was 67%–69%, against 70%–72% among Jewish women of other origins, and below the national target of 70% of all women aged 50–74.

What was built in response

From the Prime Minister's Office report on the government integration programme (January 2026), health ministry chapter:

> To advance the health of women and girls, a national programme of social workers was established to accompany girls to pregnancy-termination committees and to reduce repeat terminations. The programme ran in five hospitals, in addition to two projects in the Central and Northern districts accompanied by HIV coordinators.

The same chapter also reports: BRCA 1,2 screening entered the health basket, a public-consultation process was run, and following it the ministry issued guidance to the health funds to encourage uptake — alongside the production of information sheets in Amharic. The report notes that campaigns and local events to encourage early-detection screening for breast cancer, including mammography, are planned "in the coming months".

In the delivery table of that same report, "women's and girls' health" is marked partly delivered.

How to read this properly

A high termination rate is not a statement about women. It is a statement about what came before: access to contraception, counselling in a language you understand, and accompaniment. That is exactly why the response the state built is a social worker who comes with you to the committee — and not a campaign.

Also: mammography uptake of 67%–69% is not a dramatic gap from 70%–72%. It is below the national target, though, in a group where — per that same paper — breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer among Ethiopia-born women (22.6% of all cases).

What you are actually entitled to

Accompaniment to a termination committee — the programme runs in five hospitals per the report. It is worth asking at the hospital or your health fund whether a dedicated social worker is available to come with you.
An interpreter in every clinical conversation — including at the committee. We explain how to ask in our language-access guide.
Mammography — early-detection screening for women aged 50–74 is part of the health basket. If you have had no invitation, you can approach your fund yourself.
BRCA 1,2 — the test is in the basket, and per the report explanatory material exists in Amharic.

Five times the rate of termination approvals under 19 — and what the state built in response

The numbers

What was built in response

How to read this properly

What you are actually entitled to

Sources

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