Risk to woman's life, to her health*, rape, or fetal impairment
Risk to woman's life, to her health*, or fetal impairment
Risk to woman's life*, to her health*, or rape
Risk to woman's life or to her health
Risk to woman's life
Illegal with no exceptions
No information
* Does not apply to some countries or territories in that category
Note: In some countries or territories, abortion laws are modified by other laws, regulations, legal principles or judicial decisions. This map shows their combined effect as implemented by the authorities.
Abortion laws vary widely among countries and territories, and have changed over time. Such laws range from abortion being freely available on request, to regulation or restrictions of various kinds, to outright prohibition in all circumstances. Many countries and territories that allow abortion have gestational limits for the procedure depending on the reason; with the majority being up to 12 weeks for abortion on request, up to 24 weeks for rape, incest, or socioeconomic reasons, and more for fetal impairment or risk to the woman's health or life. As of 2022, countries that legally allow abortion on request or for socioeconomic reasons comprise about 60% of the world's population. In 2024, France became the first country to explicitly protect abortion rights in its constitution,[1] while Yugoslavia implicitly inscribed abortion rights in its constitution in 1974.[2]
Abortion continues to be a controversial subject in many societies on religious, moral, ethical, practical, and political grounds. Though it has been banned and otherwise limited by law in many jurisdictions, abortions continue to be common in many areas, even where they are illegal. According to a 2007 study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization, abortion rates are similar in countries where the procedure is legal and in countries where it is not,[3][4] due to unavailability of modern contraceptives in areas where abortion is illegal.[5] Also according to the study, the number of abortions worldwide is declining due to increased access to contraception.[3][4]
Abortion has existed since ancient times, with natural abortifacients being found amongst a wide variety of tribal people and in most written sources. The earliest known records of abortion techniques and general reproductive regulation date as far back as 2700 BC in China, and 1550 BC in Egypt.[6] Early texts contain little mention of abortion or abortion law. When it does appear, it is entailed in concerns about male property rights, preservation of social order, and the duty to produce fit citizens for the state or community. The harshest penalties were generally reserved for a woman who procured an abortion against her husband's wishes, and for slaves who produced abortion in a woman of high status. Religious texts often contained severe condemnations of abortion, recommending penance but seldom enforcing secular punishment. As a matter of common law in England and the United States, abortion was illegal anytime after quickening—when the movements of the fetus could first be felt by the woman. Under the born alive rule, the fetus was not considered a "reasonable being" in rerum natura; and abortion was not treated as murder in English law.
In the 19th century, many Western countries began to codify abortion laws or place further restrictions on the practice. Anti-abortion movements were led by a combination of groups opposed to abortion on moral grounds, and by medical professionals who were concerned about the danger presented by the procedure and the regular involvement of non-medical personnel in performing abortions. Nevertheless, it became clear that illegal abortions continued to take place in large numbers even where abortions were rigorously restricted. It was difficult to obtain sufficient evidence to prosecute the women and abortion doctors, and judges and juries were often reluctant to convict. For example, Henry Morgentaler, a Canadian pro-choice advocate, was never convicted by a jury. He was acquitted by a jury in the 1973 court case, but the acquittal was overturned by five judges on the Quebec Court of Appeal in 1974. He went to prison, appealed, and was again acquitted. In total, he served 10 months, suffering a heart attack while in solitary confinement. Many were also outraged at the invasion of privacy and the medical problems resulting from abortions taking place illegally in medically dangerous circumstances. Political movements soon coalesced around the legalization of abortion and liberalization of existing laws.
By the first half of the 20th century, many countries had begun to liberalize abortion laws, at least when performed to protect the woman's life and in some cases on the woman's request. Under Vladimir Lenin, the Soviet Union became the first modern state in legalizing abortions on request—the law was first introduced in the Russian SFSR in 1920, in the Ukrainian SSR in July 1921, and then in the whole country.[7][8] The Bolsheviks saw abortion as a social evil created by the capitalist system, which left women without the economic means to raise children, forcing them to perform abortions. The Soviet state initially preserved the tsarist ban on abortion, which treated the practice as premeditated murder. However, abortion had been practiced by Russian women for decades and its incidence skyrocketed further as a result of the Russian Civil War, which had left the country economically devastated and made it extremely difficult for many people to have children. The Soviet state recognized that banning abortion would not stop the practice because women would continue using the services of private abortionists. In rural areas, these were often old women who had no medical training, which made their services very dangerous to women's health. In November 1920, the Soviet government legalized abortion in state hospitals. The state considered abortion as a temporary necessary evil, which would disappear in the future communist society, which would be able to provide for all the children conceived.[9][pageneeded] In 1936, Joseph Stalin placed prohibitions on abortions, which restricted them to medically recommended cases only, in order to increase population growth after the enormous loss of life in World War I and the Russian Civil War.[10][11][8] In the 1930s, several countries (Poland, Turkey, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Mexico) legalized abortion in some special cases (pregnancy from rape, threat to mother's health, fetal malformation). In Japan, abortion was legalized in 1948 by the Eugenic Protection Law,[12] amended in May 1949 to allow abortions for economic reasons.[13] Abortion was legalized in 1952 in Yugoslavia (on a limited basis[which?]), and again in 1955 in the Soviet Union on request. Some Soviet allies (Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania) legalized abortion in the late 1950s under pressure from the Soviets.[how?][14][additional citation(s) needed]
In the United Kingdom, the Abortion Act of 1967 clarified and prescribed abortions as legal up to 28 weeks (later reduced to 24 weeks). Other countries soon followed, including Canada (1969), the United States (1973 in most states, pursuant to Roe v. Wade—the U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion nationwide), Tunisia and Denmark (1973), Austria (1974), France and Sweden (1975), New Zealand (1977), Italy (1978), the Netherlands (1984), and Belgium (1990). However, these countries vary greatly in the circumstances under which abortion was to be permitted. In 1975, the West German Supreme Court struck down a law legalizing abortion, holding that they contradict the constitution's human rights guarantees. In 1976, a law was adopted which enabled abortions up to 12 weeks. After Germany's reunification, despite the legal status of abortion in former East Germany, a compromise was reached which deemed most abortions up to 12 weeks legal, but this law was struck down by the Federal Constitutional Court and amended to only remove the punishment in such cases, without any statement to legality. In jurisdictions governed under sharia law, abortion after the 120th day from conception (19 weeks from LMP) is illegal, especially for those who follow the recommendations of the Hanafi legal school, while most jurists of the Maliki legal school "believe that ensoulment occurs at the moment of conception, and they tend to forbid abortion at any point [similar to the Roman Catholic Church]. The other schools hold intermediate positions. ... The penalty prescribed for an illegal abortion varies according to particular circumstances involved. According to sharia, it should be limited to a fine that is paid to the father or heirs of the fetus."[15]
The table below lists in chronological order the United Nations member states that have legalized abortion on request in at least some initial part of the pregnancy, or that have fully decriminalized abortion. As of 2024, 67 countries have legalized or decriminalized abortion on request.
Notes
Where a country has legalized abortion on request, prohibited it, and legalized it again (e.g., former Soviet Union, Romania), only the later year is included. Countries that result from the merger of states where abortion on request was legal at the moment of unification show the year when it became legal across the whole national territory (e.g., Germany, Vietnam). Similarly, countries where not all subnational jurisdictions have legalized abortion on request are not included, leading to the exclusion of Australia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Countries where abortion on request was once legalized nationwide but has since been prohibited in at least part of the country, such as the United States and Poland, are also excluded. Countries are counted even if they were not yet independent at the time. The year refers to when the relevant law or judicial decisioncame into force, which may be different from the year when it was approved.
While abortions are legal at least under certain conditions in almost all countries, these conditions vary widely. According to a United Nations (UN) report with data gathered up to 2019,[44] abortion is allowed in 98% of countries in order to save a woman's life. Other commonly-accepted reasons are preserving physical (72%) or mental health (69%), in cases of rape or incest (61%), and in cases of fetal impairment (61%). Performing an abortion because of economic or social reasons is accepted in 37% of countries. Performing abortion only on the basis of a woman's request is allowed in 34% of countries, including in Canada, most European countries and China.[44]
The exact scope of each legal ground also varies. For example, the laws of some countries cite health risks and fetal impairment as general grounds for abortion and allow a broad interpretation of such terms in practice, while other countries restrict them to a specific list of medical conditions or subcategories. Many countries that allow abortion have gestational limits for the procedure depending on the reason; with the majority being up to 12 weeks for abortion on request, up to 24 weeks for social, economic, rape, or incest reasons, and more for fetal impairment or threats to the woman's health or life.[44]:26
In some countries, additional procedures must be followed before the abortion can be carried out even if the basic grounds for it are met. How strictly all of the procedures dictated in the legislation are followed in practice is another matter. For example, in the United Kingdom, a Care Quality Commission's report in 2012 found that several NHS clinics were circumventing the law, using forms pre-signed by one doctor, thus allowing abortions to patients who only met with one doctor.[45]
Summary tables
Legend
permitted
In many cases, abortion is permitted only up to a certain gestational age. If this limit is known and does not vary by subdivision, it is shown instead of "permitted".
Legal limits may not be directly comparable. Limits may be expressed in trimesters, months, weeks of pregnancy (implantation), weeks from fertilization, or weeks from last menstrual period (LMP).
*LMP is the time since the last menstrual period began.
This color-coded map illustrates the current legal status of elective-specific abortion procedures in each of the individual states, U.S. territories, and federal district. A colored border indicates a more stringent restriction or ban that is blocked by legal injunction.
Color-coded map illustrating availability of abortion in Canada, in weeks of embryonic age (from fertilization). Abortion is legal at all stages in Canada, but availability is subject to medical guidelines.
Available first 12 weeks (PEI)
Available first 13 weeks
Available first 16 weeks
Available first 19 weeks
Available first 20 weeks
Available first 24 weeks
Available first 25 weeks
Countries with more restrictive laws
Supporter of legalized abortion at a rally in Paraná, Argentina. Argentina had restrictive laws until 2021.
Some of the countries of Central America, notably El Salvador, have also come to international attention due to very forceful enforcement of the laws, including the incarceration of a gang-rape victim for homicide when she gave birth to a stillborn son and was accused of attempting an illegal abortion.[572][573][574]
El Salvador has some of the strictest abortion laws of any country. Abortion under all circumstances, including rape, incest, and risk to the mother's health, is illegal. Women can be criminalized and penalized to up to 40 years in prison after being found guilty of an abortion. El Salvador's abortion laws are so severe that miscarriages and stillbirths can sometimes be enough for conviction. The Inter-American Court has already ruled that El Salvador was responsible for the death of Manuela, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2008 for aggravated homicide after suffering an obstetric emergency that resulted in her losing her pregnancy.[575][576]
Controversy over the beginning of pregnancy occurs in different contexts, particularly in a legal context, and is particularly discussed within the abortion debate from the point of measuring the gestational age of the pregnancy. Pregnancy can be measured from a number of convenient points, including the day of last menstruation, ovulation, fertilization, implantation and chemical detection. A common medical way to calculate gestational age is to measure pregnancy from the first day of the last menstrual cycle.[fz] However, not all legal systems use this measure for the purpose of abortion law; for example countries such as Belgium, France, and Luxembourg use the term "pregnancy" in the abortion law to refer to the time elapsed from the sexual act that led to conception, which is presumed to be 2 weeks after the end of the last menstrual period.[ga]
Exceptions in abortion law
Exceptions in abortion laws occur either in countries where abortion is as a general rule illegal or in countries that have abortion on request with gestational limits. For example, if a country allows abortion on request until 12 weeks, it may create exceptions to this general gestation limit for later abortions in specific circumstances.[582]
There are a few exceptions commonly found in abortion laws. Legal domains which do not have abortion on demand will often allow it when the health of the mother is at stake. "Health of the mother" may mean something different in different areas: for example, prior to December 2018, Ireland allowed abortion only to save the mother's life, whereas abortion opponents in the United States argue health exceptions are used so broadly as to render a ban essentially meaningless.[583]
Laws allowing abortion in cases of rape or incest often differ. For example, before Roe v. Wade, thirteen U.S. states allowed abortion in the case of either rape or incest, but only Mississippi permitted abortion of pregnancies due to rape, and no state permitted it for just incest.[584]
Many[vague] countries allow abortion only through the first or second trimester, and some may allow abortion in cases of fetal defects, e.g., Down syndrome, or where the pregnancy is the result of a sexual crime.
Laws in some countries with liberal abortion laws protect access to abortion services. Such legislation often seeks to guard abortion clinics against obstruction, vandalism, picketing, and other actions, or to protect patients and employees of such facilities from threats and harassment. Other laws create a perimeter around a facility, known variously as a "buffer zone", "bubble zone", or "access zone", where demonstrations opposing abortion are not permitted. Protests and other displays are restricted to a certain distance from the building, which varies depending on the law. Similar zones have also been created to protect the homes of abortion providers and clinic staff. Bubble zone laws are divided into "fixed" and "floating" categories. Fixed bubble zone laws apply to the static area around the facility itself, and floating laws to objects in transit, such as people or cars.[585] Because of conflicts between anti-abortion activists on one side and women seeking abortion and medical staff who provides abortion on the other side, some laws are quite strict: in South Africa for instance, any person who prevents the lawful termination of a pregnancy or obstructs access to a facility for the termination of a pregnancy faces up to 10 years in prison (section 10.1 (c) of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act[586]).
On 3 November 2020, an association of 20 Kenyan charities urged the government of Kenya to withdraw from the Geneva Consensus Declaration (GCD), a US-led international accord that sought to limit access to abortion for girls and women around the world. GCD was signed by 33 nations, on 22 October 2020.[587]
This section is in a table format that may be better if supplemented with prose. You can help by adding a prose summary of the table(s). Editing help is available.(October 2021)
Rex v Bourne Abortion in case of risk to physical or mental health included in risk to life. The decision was also implemented by some British territories and their successors.[370]
A, B and C v Ireland The court rejected the argument that article 8 conferred a right to abortion, but found that Ireland had violated the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to provide an accessible and effective procedure by which a woman can have established whether she qualifies for a legal abortion.
1 2 In 2021, the Chinese government issued guidelines reducing "non-medically necessary" abortions as a "step toward women's development".[17] The guidelines do not provide detail on what a "non-medically necessary" abortion is, nor what specific policies the government has planned to achieve this goal.[18][19]
↑ The law from 1957 legalizing the abortion on request was limited in 1962 when additional approval for each abortion had to be obtained from so called Abort Commission (which rejected about 15% of the requests). The Abort Commissions were abolished by law in 1986. Until 1993 each approved abortion was paid by state.[20][21]
↑ After explicit legalization struck down by supreme court decision, the law only removes punishment for abortion on request but with no statement about its legality.
↑ The law legalizing abortion on request was approved in 1995 and came into force in 1996.[32]
↑ The law legalizing abortion on request was approved in 2014 and came into force in 2015.[34]
1 2 3 The law of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan consisted primarily of statutory law and a limited use of Islamic jurisprudence.[48] The Afghan penal code criminalized abortion and only removed the penalty if the abortion was prescribed by a doctor to save the woman's life,[49][50] but other sources said that Afghanistan also allowed abortion in case of fetal impairment,[51] and rarely for economic reasons if accepted by a religious council.[52] After the 2021 Taliban offensive, the new government announced its intention to implement Islamic law exclusively, and it is unclear which legal grounds for abortion it accepts.[53]
↑ The UN source says that this ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is accepted as a general legal principle.[55] However, other sources say that abortion is not legally allowed under any circumstance in Andorra.[56]
↑ The UN source incorrectly shows Angola as allowing abortion on request, citing a penal code draft from 2014 that did not become law.[57] The version of the penal code enacted in 2020 and entered into force in 2021 allows abortion only in certain circumstances.[58]
↑ A 2001 UN source says that abortion must be performed within the first 16 weeks and that it may be permitted after this period under very exceptional circumstances.[60]
↑ Before independence, a judicial decision in the parent country allowed abortion for this ground, but the decision has not been explicitly recognized by Antigua and Barbuda.[60][61]:14
↑ Most laws of New South Wales and Queensland, including their abortion laws, are set to apply to Norfolk Island after 2026.[72][73] The Criminal Code of Norfolk Island, which remains in force in the territory, does not prohibit abortion.[74]
↑ Abortion up to 24 weeks may be performed if the medical practitioner considers the abortion is appropriate in all the circumstances, having regard to all relevant medical circumstances, the woman's current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances, and professional standards and guidelines. Later abortion may be performed, if two medical practitioners consider the abortion is appropriate in all the circumstances, having regard to the mentioned matters.[75] These criteria are not considered as allowing abortion on request.[64][65]
1 2 3 If the woman was under age 14 when getting pregnant, no limit is specified.
1 2 3 The penal code says that abortion is permitted for therapeutic purposes but is unclear whether it means only to save the woman's life or also to preserve her health. The UN source marks it as a permitted ground.
1 2 3 4 5 The UN source marks it as a legal ground because the Penal Code explicitly prohibits abortion only if performed without the consent of the woman and of a medical practitioner.[84] However, the decree regulating medical practice prohibits abortion unless the pregnancy threatens the woman's life.[85]
1 2 3 4 5 The UN source does not explicitly mark this legal ground for abortion but says that "Menstrual regulation is available on request for women with a last menstrual period of 10 weeks or less."[46]
↑ The law permits abortion for medical reasons without gestational limit, for social reasons up to 22 weeks of gestation, and on request up to 12 weeks of gestation.[87] By regulation, fetal impairment is included as a medical reason,[88] and rape is included as a social reason.[89]
1 2 3 Defined as 12 weeks from conception, considered as 14 weeks from the last menstrual period.[91]
↑ The penal code prohibits abortion except to save the woman's life, when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, or when the woman is of unsound mental condition.[94] Guidelines for health workers mention grounds of risk to the woman's health and fetal impairment, and define a gestational limit of 180 days.[95]
1 2 This ground is only cited in guidelines for health workers, not by law.[94][95]
↑ This ground is established by a regulation implementing a judicial decision, although it is not mentioned in the decision itself or in the law.[96]
↑ The penal code criminalizes abortion except if done to save the woman's life or if the pregnancy is the result of rape.[101] Due to a decision by the Supreme Federal Court, abortion is also permitted in case of anencephaly, and it may also be authorized by court order in other fatal cases of fetal impairment.[102][103][104]
↑ The penal code says that social demands are taken into account in a conviction for abortion.[108] It is unclear if this circumstance reduces the penalty or may remove it.
↑ There is no abortion law in Canada, but medical guidelines of its subdivisions and individual providers may limit the abortion services that they offer depending on gestational age and medical reasons.[111][112][113]
↑ The penal code says that abortion may be permitted to an underage woman in a state of grave distress up to 8 weeks.[115]
↑ If the woman is under age 14, the gestational limit is 14 weeks.
1 2 3 4 5 6 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is established by judicial decision.[123][124][40]
1 2 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law.[126] The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which is declared to be an integral part of the constitution, says that "Abortion, other than therapeutic, is prohibited and punishable by law."[127] It is unclear whether the therapeutic ground means only to save the woman's life or also to preserve her health. The UN source says that only the ground to save the woman's life is accepted as a general legal principle.[44]
↑ If the woman is of young age or immature and so unable to care for the child in a proper way, no limit is specified.
↑ Before independence, a judicial decision in the parent country allowed abortion for this ground, but the decision has not been explicitly recognized by Dominica.[143]
↑ The UN source says that this ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is accepted as a general legal principle. However, other sources say that abortion is not legally allowed under any circumstance in the Dominican Republic.[145][146]
↑ The UN source shows East Timor as allowing abortion also in case of risk to the woman's health or fetal impairment, citing the penal code enacted in March 2009 and entered into force in June 2009.[147][148] However, the penal code was amended in July 2009 to restrict abortion only to save the woman's life.[149][148][150]
↑ This ground is explicitly mentioned in the law only in case of rape of a woman with a mental disability, but it is also established by judicial decision in case of rape of any woman.[151]
1 2 3 Abortion is permitted if the woman is under age 18.
1 2 3 If the woman is under age 15 or over age 45, the gestational limit is 22 weeks.
↑ Permitted up to 28 weeks of gestation if the woman is unfit to raise the child due to a physical or mental disability or for being under age 18. The penalty for abortion may be mitigated in case of extreme poverty.[159][160]
1 2 3 Defined as 14 weeks of pregnancy, considered as 16 weeks from the last menstrual period.[167]
↑ The penal code says that abortion may be permitted to an underage woman in a state of grave distress up to 10 weeks.
1 2 3 The criminal code specifies that abortion is not deemed an offence if the woman requests it, she has obtained counselling, and it is done by a physician within 12 weeks from conception. (Also, the woman is not punished for an abortion within 22 weeks if the other conditions are fulfilled.) The woman's living conditions are also taken into account in the indication of a serious risk to her health.[174][175]
1 2 If the woman is a minor or incapable of resisting, the gestational limit is 19 weeks.
1 2 If the woman is HIV-positive or contraception failure, the gestational limit is 16 weeks.
↑ A new penal code, published by presidential decree on 24 June 2020, would allow abortion on request in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and in case of risk to the woman's physical or mental health, rape or incest.[182] The code is set to take effect on 19 June 2025 unless modified before then.[183]
1 2 3 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is accepted as a general legal principle.
1 2 3 Up to 18 weeks if the woman is incapacitated or did not recognize the pregnancy due to illness or medical error, or in case of failure of a health institution.[185]
↑ Up to 24 weeks in case of prolongation of the diagnostic procedure, or no limit in case of fetal abnormality incompatible with life after birth.[185]
↑ No limit in case of "substantial foetal abnormalities".[187]
↑ This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law,[194] but it may be included in other legal grounds if the pregnancy causes unbearable hardship, such as significant harm to mental health or risk of suicide.[195][bettersourceneeded]
↑ This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is accepted as a general legal principle.[196][197]
1 2 This ground is only cited in instructions to health committees, not by law.[198]
1 2 If the risk to life or health is immediate, no gestational limit is specified.
1 2 Abortion is permitted if the woman is under age 18 or over age 40, or if she is not married or the pregnancy is not from marriage.[200]
↑ This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is established by judicial decision.[214] It is also mentioned in the National Guidelines on Management of Sexual Violence.[215]
1 2 3 4 5 6 The penal code prohibits "unlawful abortion", defined as "abortion not authorized by medical doctor commission". The penal code also lists the principles of legitimate defense and necessity to save one's life, which lead to exemption from penal liability.[221] A decision by the Ministry of Health states that abortion is medically authorized, up to 28 weeks of gestation, due to certain medical conditions of the woman or fetus, rape, contraception failure, and certain socioeconomic conditions of the woman or her family.[222] A WHO source also shows Laos as allowing abortion on request up to 12 weeks of gestation, citing guidelines for health workers from 2016,[223] but they were issued before the penal code of 2017 defined "unlawful abortion" and are not mentioned in the decision by the Ministry of Health of 2021.
1 2 3 If the woman is under age 13 or over age 49, no limit is specified.
↑ This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law.[234] The UN source says that it is accepted as a general legal principle,[44] but other sources say that abortion is not legally allowed under any circumstance in Madagascar.[235][236]
↑ The law of Maldives is a combination of statutory and Islamic law.[239] The Maldivian penal code criminalizes abortion after 120 days of gestation, except for risk to the woman's life.[240] The Maldivian Islamic jurisprudence allows abortion only for risk to the woman's life, without gestational limit, or in cases of rape, incest, or certain medical conditions of a fetus conceived in marriage, up to 120 days of gestation.[241][242]
↑ Only for certain medical conditions of a fetus conceived in marriage.[241][242]
1 2 The penal code prohibits abortion without any explicit exception,[246] but the UN source says that abortion to save the woman's life is permitted as a general legal principle.[44] The law on child protection prohibits abortion except for a "proven medical need",[247] and the law on reproductive health prohibits abortion except in case of risk to the woman's life.[248] The government has stated that the law of the country permits abortion on therapeutic grounds.[249]
↑ Abortion for this ground is permitted by law in all subdivisions except Guanajuato and Querétaro. In these two states, medical professionals at federal health facilities may provide abortion without prosecution,[251][252] while others may be prosecuted but not imprisoned, and they may request judicial relief by amparo.[41][42]
1 2 3 4 The penal codes of some states specify a gestational limit for abortion in case of rape. However, in July 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to set a limit for abortion on this ground.[253][254]
1 2 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is established by judicial decision.[41][42]
1 2 3 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is established by judicial decision.[272]
1 2 3 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is established by judicial decision.[274]
1 2 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is established by judicial decision.[289]
1 2 3 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is established by judicial decision.[291]
↑ If the woman is under age 15 or over age 40, the gestational limit is 21 weeks.
↑ In 2016, the government of Morocco proposed allowing abortion in cases of rape, incest, mental disability and fetal impairment. However, the parliament did not approve the proposal,[295][296] and as of 2021 the abortion articles in the penal code remain unchanged.[297][298]
↑ May be permitted with no gestational limit in case the fetus is not viable.[299]
1 2 Up to 28 weeks if the woman has HIV or a similar incurable disease.[303][304]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 The Criminal Code of the predecessor of Nigeria prohibited abortion except to save the woman's life. A judicial decision on a similar law in the parent country allowed abortion also to preserve the woman's health, but the West African Court of Appeal, despite applying the reasoning of the parent country's decision, affirmed only the ground to save the woman's life in Nigerian law. The Criminal Code and its judicial precedent remain in force in the southern states of Nigeria. In the states corresponding to the former Northern Region, the Penal Code replaced the Criminal Code and its judicial precedent, and it also prohibits abortion except to save the woman's life.[306][307]
1 2 3 4 5 6 The criminal law of North Korea, as amended up to 2015, does not mention abortion.[309][310] In 2015 the North Korean government issued a directive prohibiting medical professionals from performing abortions but did not indicate a penalty for doing so.[311] In 2016, the government stated that abortion was "legal" and "provided upon request by the woman concerned for reasons of risks to her life, physical and mental health and fetal malformation", but it is unclear whether these were the only permitted reasons.[312] It has also been reported that repatriated pregnant women are forced to have abortions to prevent children of mixed ethnicity.[313][314]
1 2 3 May be permitted with no gestational limit in some cases.[315]
1 2 3 The penal law prohibits abortion without any explicit exception, but it exempts from penal liability actions done by necessity to protect oneself or others from a severe and imminent danger, and in the practice of agreed medical activities or urgent medical intervention.[317] The law regulating medical practice prohibits abortion except for risk to the woman's life or of unbearable illness, and in case of fetal impairment up to 120 days of gestation.[318]
↑ Different sources specify this limit as 120 days or four months of gestation.[321][322]
1 2 3 4 The law prohibits abortion except to save the woman's life.[324] However, some sources say that abortion may also be permitted for health reasons and in cases of rape and fetal impairment,[325][326][327] while other sources say that it is not possible to obtain an abortion in any circumstance.[328]
↑ The law prohibits abortion done "unlawfully" without defining it, and it explicitly permits abortion to preserve the woman's life.[331] An opinion of the State Solicitor in 1982, based on court decisions on identical laws in the former parent country, considered that preservation of the woman's health was also a legal ground for abortion.[332][333] However, in 2018, in the case of a woman who had aborted at four months of pregnancy due to risk to health, the Supreme Court acquitted her because she had been wrongly charged for the crime of killing an unborn child, which only applies shortly before birth (section 312), but ruled that she should have still been charged for the crime of abortion (section 225).[334]
↑ In case of risk to the woman's life after fetal viability, the pregnancy may also be interrupted by attempting a live birth.
↑ Permitted until fetal viability in case of a fetal anomaly that poses a risk to the woman's health.
1 2 Abortion may also permitted up to 40 days of gestation for other reasons that are not economic or social concerns.[357][358][359]
1 2 The penal code prohibits abortion without any explicit exception,[360] but the code of medical ethics permits abortion to save the woman's life.[361][44][362] The government has stated that abortion is authorized in case of risk to the woman's health.[363]
1 2 3 4 In some cases, abortion may be allowed up to fetal viability or 26 weeks of gestation.[366][367]
1 2 Sierra Leone established that the laws in force in England in 1880 would be in force in Sierra Leone from 1965.[368] One of these laws prohibited abortion done "unlawfully" without defining it.[369] A judicial decision in England in 1938 clarified that this law always implicitly allowed abortion at least to save the woman's life, and the decision allowed it also to preserve her health.[370] It is unclear whether Sierra Leone applies only the original legal principle or also the judicial decision.[371][372] In 2015 the parliament of Sierra Leone passed a law allowing abortion on request but it was not signed by the president so it did not come into force.[373][374]
↑ In some cases, the gestational limit is 12 weeks.
↑ The laws of South Korea prohibited abortion except for risk to the woman's health, rape, incest, or certain medical conditions, up to 24 weeks of gestation.[384] On 11 April 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled that the abortion restrictions were unconstitutional, giving the legislature until the end of 2020 to amend the laws to allow abortion on request with some gestational limit. In October 2020 the government proposed a limit of 14 weeks for abortion on request and 24 weeks for certain other cases, but the legislature did not approve this or any other proposal on the subject before the end of the year, so the abortion laws became automatically invalid on 1 January 2021.[385] As of 2024, the legislature had still not approved any of the proposals, leaving abortion decriminalized without a clear gestational limit.[386]
1 2 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is established by judicial decision.[385]
↑ In case of a fatal anomaly, no limit is specified.
↑ In mainland Tanzania, articles 150 to 152 of the penal code prohibit abortion done "unlawfully", and article 230 of the same law permits abortion to preserve the woman's life. Article 219 additionally prohibits "child destruction", meaning abortion after fetal viability, presumed at 28 weeks of pregnancy, but still permits it to preserve the woman's life.[399] In Zanzibar, the penal act has equivalent articles 129 to 131, 213 and 200.[400]
↑ This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law. A judicial decision by the East African Court of Appeal, with jurisdiction over the predecessors of Tanzania, allowed abortion also to preserve the woman's health, and sources state that this decision remains binding after independence.[401]
↑ This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law[405] but it is accepted as a general legal principle.[406]
1 2 If the woman is under age 15 or over age 45, the gestational limit is 22 weeks.[418][419]
1 2 3 A Cabinet resolution on abortion, issued under the law on medical liability, permits abortion "based on the request of the spouses, after the approval of the committee", "and with the approval of the treating physician for the medical condition justifying the abortion", in the first 120 days of pregnancy.[421] These provisions are considered to permit abortion in case of risk to the woman's physical or mental health, and may also include other cases.[422][423]
↑ Abortion for this ground is permitted only in Northern Ireland, up to 12 weeks of gestation.[427]
1 2 3 4 5 Abortion for this ground is not permitted in some states.
↑ Permitted in case of a lethal anomaly up to 20 weeks from fertilization, considered as 22 weeks from the last menstrual period.[431][430]
1 2 3 4 The law sets a gestational limit of 15 weeks for abortion on this ground,[433] but the constitution invalidates its enforcement before fetal viability.[434]
1 2 3 This U.S. state has explicitly amended its constitution to guarantee the right to an abortion to its residents.
↑ Permitted until viability if the fetus has a fatal anomaly.[437]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Defined as 20 weeks from fertilization, considered as 22 weeks from the last menstrual period.[429]
↑ This ground is not mentioned in the state law but it is established by judicial decision based on federal law.[443]
↑ Defined as 13 weeks from fertilization, considered as 15 weeks from the last menstrual period.[442][444]
↑ Defined as 10 weeks from fertilization, considered as 12 weeks from the last menstrual period.[445]
↑ Permitted in case of a lethal anomaly up to 20 weeks from fertilization, considered as 22 weeks from the last menstrual period.[445]
↑ Permitted in case of a fetal abnormality incompatible with life up to 20 weeks from fertilization, considered as 22 weeks from the last menstrual period.[448]
↑ Permitted in certain cases of fatal anomalies.[452][453]
1 2 3 Abortion after viability is allowed if a physician judges it "necessary" under the "applicable standard of care".[454]
1 2 3 Criminal law prohibits abortion after fetal viability except as stated in health law,[455] and health law states that "the State may not interfere" with abortion on this ground before viability.[456] Sources disagree whether it is actually prohibited after viability.[457][429]
1 2 3 4 A constitutional amendment allowing abortion up to fetal viability is set to take effect on 5 December 2024.[465]
1 2 3 4 Also allowed after this period if there is an absence of fetal viability.[470]
↑ Permitted up to 24 weeks of gestation in case of a life-limiting anomaly.[471]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 A law prohibits abortion on this ground or sets a lower gestational limit but it is suspended by judicial decision.
↑ In case of a lethal anomaly or a severe brain abnormality, no limit is specified.
↑ Defined as 8 weeks from implantation, approximately 11 weeks from the last menstrual period. If the patient is a minor or an incompetent or incapacitated adult, abortion in case of rape is permitted in the first 14 weeks from implantation, approximately 17 weeks from the last menstrual period.[490]
↑ Permitted with no gestational limit if the fetus has a lethal anomaly.[490]
1 2 A judge may also remove the penalty for abortion on this ground in the first 3 months from conception.[499]
↑ The penal code says that abortion is permitted for "good medical reasons"[501] but is unclear whether it means only to save the woman's life or also to preserve her health. The UN source marks it as a permitted ground.
↑ Depending on the capacity at each level of hospital.[513][514][515]
↑ Abortion is not permitted for rape within marriage.[520]
1 2 The 2014 Guidelines for Comprehensive Abortion Care says "In Zimbabwe termination of pregnancy may be permitted for HIV-positive women if they choose to do so."[521]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law, but the identical text in the law of the parent country is considered to include this ground in a ground for preserving physical or mental health.[424][425][426]
1 2 3 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is accepted as a general legal principle.[61]
↑ The parliament has proposed a law allowing abortion also in case of risk to health, rape and fetal impairment,[530] but it has not yet been approved.[531]
↑ This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law, but it is established by a judicial decision in the parent country. A UN source states this it in unclear whether this judicial precedent also applies to the Cook Islands, but it lists this ground as permitted there.[532]
1 2 3 4 5 Although illegal, the government does not prosecute abortions performed under rules similar to other countries, including on request.[534]
↑ Permitted up to 16 weeks of gestation if medical circumstances make the woman unfit to care for her child.[536]
↑ This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law but it is considered to be included in the ground for preserving physical or mental health.[537][538]
1 2 3 4 5 Although the law permits abortions on request, no medical providers in the territory perform them except to save the woman's life.[542][543]
1 2 3 4 5 6 In Alderney and Sark, this ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law.[544] A judicial decision on an identical law in the parent country clarified that the law always implicitly allowed abortion at least to save the woman's life, and the decision allowed it also to preserve her health.[370] It is unclear whether Alderney and Sark apply only the original legal principle or also the judicial decision.
1 2 3 4 Although not allowed by Alderney law, abortions are provided in Alderney under the same conditions as in Guernsey, as health services in Alderney operate under Guernsey law.[546] To resolve the legal contradiction, in 2022 the States of Alderney passed an abortion law identical to the one in Guernsey, and it awaits a regulation to establish the effective date.[547]
1 2 A law enacted by New Zealand for Niue in 1966 prohibited abortion done "unlawfully", without defining it,[551] but a judicial decision applicable in New Zealand allowed abortion in case of risk to the woman's life or health, and a UN source states this judicial precedent probably applies to Niue as well.[552] In 2007, New Zealand repealed the sections of law that prohibited abortion in Niue,[553] but they remain in force in Niue[554] as legislation enacted by New Zealand after 1974 does not apply to Niue without its consent.[555]
1 2 3 4 5 6 The territory's constitution prohibits abortion "except as provided by law", and the territory has no law about the subject.[556] A law from the predecessor of the territory prohibited abortion done "unlawfully" without defining it, and although predecessor laws remain in force in the territory unless modified, a judicial decision ruled this abortion law invalid for being too vague.[557] As a result, although abortion remains prohibited in principle by the constitution, abortion providers cannot be prosecuted for it as there is no law specifying a penalty. Still, in practice, authorized medical providers in the territory perform abortions only to save the woman's life and possibly in case of rape.[558] In 1995, an opinion issued by the territory's attorney general concluded that U.S. judicial decisions allowing abortion on request also applied to the territory, but these decisions were overturned in 2022.[556]
1 2 3 4 The penal code prohibits abortion except in case of risk to the woman's life or health.[560] In 1980, a decision by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico expanded the health criteria to also include mental health, including emotional, psychological, family and age aspects, with no gestational limit. However, the decision still maintained the prohibition on abortion if done without any therapeutic consideration.[561][562]
↑ Applies English law in force on 1 January 2006 unless locally modified, in each part of the territory.[563]Tristan da Cunha explicitly applies the abortion law of the United Kingdom with minor modifications.[564]
1 2 3 4 5 Although illegal, the government does not prosecute abortions performed under rules similar to other countries, including on request.[61]
1 2 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law. The judicial handbook says that abortion is permitted for medical reasons but is unclear whether it means only to save the woman's life or also to preserve her health.[567]
1 2 This ground is not explicitly mentioned in the law. A judicial decision on an identical law in the parent country clarified that the law always implicitly allowed abortion at least to save the woman's life, and the decision allowed it also to preserve her health.[370] It is unclear whether the territory applies only the original legal principle or also the judicial decision.
1 2 All states allow abortion to prevent the woman's imminent death, and some if the pregnancy is a less-immediate threat to their life. • Additional allowance for risk to the woman's physical health: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. • Allowance for risk to the woman's general health: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington. • Allowance for pregnancy due to rape or incest: Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, Utah, and Wyoming. • Allowance for lethal fetal abnormality: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, South Carolina, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Utah. Note that these allowances may have a time limit, which may be as early as cardiac-cell activity (approximately 6 weeks LMP); others may have no limit. Different allowances may have different limits in the same state.
↑ Cardiac-cell activity is generally detectable in the 6th week LMP. Allowance beyond this limit is made, at minimum, for an immediate threat to the woman's life. In general, states that permit limited elective abortion may allow abortion beyond that limit for some or all of the reasons listed above.
↑ Typically, fetal viability begins in the 23rd or 24th week LMP.
↑ The second trimester is variously defined as through 27th or 28th week LMP. In Massachusetts, the law allows elective abortion up to 24 weeks from implantation, which is approx. 27 weeks LMP.
↑ For example Luxembourg abortion law states: "Avant la fin de la 12e semaine de grossesse ou avant la fin de la 14e semaine d'aménorrhée ...", which translates to "Before the end of the 12th week of pregnancy or before the end of the 14th week of amenorrhea".[233]
Abortion in the United Kingdom is de facto available under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967 in Great Britain and the Abortion (No.2) Regulations 2020 in Northern Ireland. The procurement of an abortion remains a criminal offence in Great Britain under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, although the Abortion Act provides a legal defence for both the pregnant woman and her doctor in certain cases. Although a number of abortions did take place before the 1967 Act, there have been around 10 million abortions in the United Kingdom. Around 200,000 abortions are carried out in England and Wales each year and just under 14,000 in Scotland; the most common reason cited under the ICD-10 classification system for around 98% of all abortions is "risk to woman's mental health."
Late termination of pregnancy, also referred to politically as third trimester abortion, describes the termination of pregnancy by inducing labor during a late stage of gestation. In this context, late is not precisely defined, and different medical publications use varying gestational age thresholds. As of 2015, in the United States, more than 90% of abortions occur before the 13th week, 1.3% take place after the 21st week, and less than 1% occur after 24 weeks.
Abortion in Sweden was first legislated by the Abortion Act of 1938. This stated that an abortion could be legally performed in Sweden upon medical, humanitarian, or eugenical grounds. That is, if the pregnancy constituted a serious threat to the woman's life, if she had been impregnated by rape, or if there was a considerable chance that any serious condition might be inherited by her child, she could request an abortion. The law was later augmented in 1946 to include socio-medical grounds and again in 1963 to include the risk of serious fetal damage. A committee investigated whether these conditions were met in each individual case and, as a result of this prolonged process, abortion was often not granted until the middle of the second trimester. As such, a new law was created in 1974, stating that the choice of an abortion is entirely up to the woman until the end of the 18th week.
Abortion in Germany is legal on demand during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy upon condition of mandatory counseling. The same goes later in pregnancy in cases that the pregnancy poses an important danger to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. In the case that the abortion is because of a rape, counseling is not mandatory. The woman needs to receive counseling, called Schwangerschaftskonfliktberatung, at least three days prior to the abortion and must take place at a state-approved centre, which afterwards gives the applicant a Beratungsschein.
The timeline of women's legal rights (other than voting) represents formal changes and reforms regarding women's rights. The changes include actual law reforms, as well as other formal changes (e.g., reforms through new interpretations of laws by precedents). The right to vote is exempted from the timeline: for that right, see Timeline of women's suffrage. The timeline excludes ideological changes and events within feminism and antifeminism; for that, see Timeline of feminism.
Abortion has been legal in India under various circumstances with the introduction of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Regulations, 2003 were issued under the Act to enable women to access safe and legal abortion services.
Abortion in Colombia is freely available on request up to the 24th week of pregnancy, due to a ruling by the Constitutional Court on February 21, 2022. Later in pregnancy, it is only allowed in cases of risk of death to the pregnant woman, fetal malformation, or rape, according to a Constitutional Court ruling in 2006.
Abortion in Denmark was fully legalized on 1 October 1973, allowing the procedure to be done electively if a woman's pregnancy has not exceeded its 12th week. Under Danish law, the patient must be over the age of 18 to decide on an abortion alone; parental consent is required for minors, except in special circumstances. An abortion can be performed after 12 weeks if the woman's life or health are in danger. A woman may also be granted an authorization to abort after 12 weeks if certain circumstances are proved to be present.
Abortion in Spain is legal upon request up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, and at later stages in cases of risk to the life or health of the woman or serious fetal defects.
Abortion in Greece has been fully legalized since 1986, when Law 1609/1986 was passed effective from 3 July 1986. Partial legalization of abortion in Greece was passed in Law 821 in 1978 that provided for the legal termination of a pregnancy, with no time limitation, in the event of a threat to the health or life of the woman. This law also allowed for termination up to the 12th week of pregnancy due to psychiatric indications and to the 20th week due to fetal pathology. Following the passage of the 1986 law, abortions can be performed on-demand in hospitals for women whose pregnancies have not exceeded 12 weeks. In the case of rape or incest, an abortion can occur as late as 19 weeks, and as late as 24 weeks in the case of fetal abnormalities. In case of inevitable risk to the life of the pregnant woman or a risk of serious and continuous damage to her physical or mental health, termination of pregnancy is legal any time before birth. Girls under the age of 18 must get written permission from a parent or guardian before being allowed an abortion.
Foeticide, or feticide, is the act of killing a fetus, or causing a miscarriage. Definitions differ between legal and medical applications, whereas in law, feticide frequently refers to a criminal offense, in medicine the term generally refers to a part of an abortion procedure in which a provider intentionally induces fetal demise to avoid the chance of an unintended live birth, or as a standalone procedure in the case of selective reduction.
Abortion in San Marino is legal in the first 12 weeks of gestation for any reason. It is also legal until fetal viability if the pregnancy poses a risk to the woman's life, if the fetus has an anomaly that poses a risk to the woman's health, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. In case of risk to the woman's life after fetal viability, the pregnancy may also be interrupted by attempting a live birth.
Abortion in Kazakhstan is legal as an elective procedure up to 12 weeks, and special circumstances afterwards. The relevant legislation is based on the laws inherited from the country's Soviet past, when abortion was legally permitted as a contraceptive.
Abortion in Thailand is legal and available on-request up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion has been legal up to at least 12 weeks of pregnancy since 7 February 2021. Following a 2020 ruling of the Constitutional Court which declared a portion of the abortion statutes unconstitutional, the Parliament removed first-term abortion from the criminal code. Once strict, over time laws have been relaxed to take into account high rates of teen pregnancy, women who lack the means or will to raise children, and the consequences of illegal abortion.
A termination for medical reasons (TFMR) is an induced abortion motivated by medical indications involving the fetus or mother. In some countries, health risks are the only basis for obtaining a legal abortion. Prenatal screening can allow early diagnosis, and abortion if desired or necessary. Some medical organizations advocate the offer of diagnostic testing by chorionic villi sampling, and amniocentesis to all pregnant women, as a matter of course.
Abortion in Europe varies considerably between countries and territories due to differing national laws and policies on its legality, availability of the procedure, and alternative forms of support for pregnant women and their families.
Abortion is illegal in Tanzania except to preserve the life of the mother. Under the Tanzanian penal code, health practitioners who perform illegal abortions may receive sentences of up to 14 years in prison, while those who procure abortions for themselves may be sentenced to up to seven years in prison.
In accordance with Egyptian law, abortion is considered a criminal act that violates the right to life, as it is often intended to terminate the fetus right to future life. The Egyptian legislature has dedicated a separate chapter in the Penal Code, Title III, titled "Abortion of Pregnant Women and the Manufacture and Sale of Adulterated Drinks Harmful to Health." Egyptian law does not explicitly define abortion. Instead, it outlines the various forms of abortion and the corresponding penalties. The Egyptian Court of Cassation defines it as "deliberately terminating a pregnancy prematurely."
In Africa, abortion is subject to various national abortion laws. Most women in Africa live in countries with restrictive laws. Most countries in Africa are parties to the African Union's Maputo Protocol, the only international treaty that defines a right to abortion. Sub-Saharan Africa is the world region with the highest rates of unsafe abortions and abortion mortality. Most abortions in the region are unsafe. The region has the highest rate of unintended pregnancy, the primary motive for abortion. The most likely women to have abortions are young, unmarried, or urban. Post-abortion care is widely available.
In Equatorial Guinea, abortion is only legal if the pregnancy poses a risk to health or life of the mother or fetus, or in the case of pregnancy from rape or incest, up to twelve weeks of gestational age. Equatorial Guinea mandates spousal consent for abortions. People who receive or assist with illegal abortions may face fines or prison. A 1991 abortion law banned abortions except to save the life or health of the mother. A 2020 law expanded legal grounds. Abortion is considered forbidden in Fang culture and is widely opposed by Catholics, the main religious group in the country.
↑ Susheela, Signh; Darroch, Jacqueline E.; Ashford, Lori S.; Vlassoff, Michael (2009). Adding It Up: The Costs and Benefits of Investing in Family Planning and Newborn Health(PDF). New York: Guttmacher Institute and United Nations Population Fund. pp.17, 19, 27. Some 215 million women in the developing world as a whole have an unmet need for modern contraceptives ... If the 215 million women with unmet need used modern family planning methods ... [that] would result in about 22 million fewer unplanned births; 25 million fewer abortions; and seven million fewer miscarriages....If women's contraceptive needs were addressed (and assuming no changes in abortion laws) ... the number of unsafe abortions would decline by 73% from 20 million to 5.5 million. A few of the findings in that report were subsequently changed, and are available at "Facts on Investing in Family Planning and Maternal and Newborn Health"(PDF). Guttmacher Institute. November 2010. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 March 2012.
↑ "Eugenic Protection Law in Japan"(PDF). Institute of Population Problems, Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan. 1960. Archived(PDF) from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
China, Population Policy Data Bank, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, 2001. Archived from the original on 27 December 2005.
1 2 Penal Code, Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, 2012. Book II, title I, chapter II (in Portuguese).
↑ Law of revision of the Penal Code, Gazette of the Republic of Mozambique, 31 December 2014. "The present law enters into force one hundred and eighty days after its publication." (in Portuguese)
1 2 3 4 5 Mexico decriminalizes abortion: what will happen now in the states of the country?, El País, 8 September 2021. "They will be able to, thus, continue sending to court the women who abort outside of the local norms, but the judicial process will not allow them to enter jail." "It is possible that there are still judges who dictate jail for some women, and this would force them to sue in local and federal processes first and then apply for an amparo before a district judge. This one would have to follow, finally, the judicial precedent." (in Spanish)
1 2 Antigua and Barbuda, Population Policy Data Bank, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, 2001. Archived from the original on 27 December 2005.
1 2 Abortion law: a national perspective, Tom Gotsis and Laura Ismay, NSW Parliamentary Research Service, May 2017, pp. 13, 40. This government publication, reflecting laws up to 2017 (including the Termination of Pregnancy Law Reform Act 2017 in the Northern Territory), lists New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory as the subdivisions of Australia not allowing abortion on request. Since then, laws allowing abortion on request have entered into force in Queensland (2018), New South Wales (2019) and South Australia (2022). The abortion law in the Northern Territory was amended in 2021 but still requires approval by a medical professional based on the same criteria as in 2017, thus it is still not considered as allowing abortion on request.
1 2 Abortion is no longer a crime in Australia. But legal hurdles to access remain, The Conversation, 3 March 2021. "With the exception of the Northern Territory, where abortion remains a medical practitioner's decision regardless of the gestation, and the ACT, where no gestational limits apply, Australian jurisdictions now permit abortion on request up to varying points in a pregnancy."
↑ "Vyhláška ministerstva zdravotnictví České socialistické republiky, kterou se provádí zákon České národní rady č. 66/1986 Sb., o umělém přerušení těhotenství" [Decree of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Socialist Republic, which implements the Act of the Czech National Council No. 66/1986 Coll., On Abortion]. Decree No. 75 of 7 November 1986(in Czech). Ministry of Health
↑ Dominica, Population Policy Data Bank, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, 2001. Archived from the original on 27 December 2005.
↑ Medical abortion law, Islamic Parliament Research Center of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 25 Khordad 1384 (15 June 2005) (in Persian). Archived from the original on 1 November 2020.
1 2 "Ruling 6/2013"(PDF) (in Divehi). Islamic Fiqh Academy, Ministry of Islamic Affairs of Maldives. 11 December 2013. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2 June 2014.
1 2 3 The Supreme Court of Mexico decriminalizes abortion in the whole country, The New York Times, 6 September 2023. "Wednesday's ruling does not affect local laws, and abortion remains illegal in 20 of the 32 states of the country. But even in those states, now women may legally abort at federal hospitals and clinics. The ruling also prohibits personnel of these centers from being penalized for performing abortions." (in Spanish)
↑ "Decreto 0007"[Decree 0007]. Official Gazette of the State of San Luis Potosí (in Spanish). Government of the State of San Luis Potosí. 12 November 2024.
↑ Why Deadly Abortions Keep Killing Women in Pakistan, Pulitzer Center, 15 July 2021. "Because laws on abortion are vague, the decision to provide an abortion or not often comes down to a provider's personal or religious beliefs, which for many, makes the prospect unthinkable."
↑ Palestine: 'Marry-Your-Rapist' Law Repealed, Human Rights Watch, 10 May 2018. "In practice, authorities may allow abortions in the first four months of pregnancy in situations of rape or incest, or if the mother has a disability or her life is at risk. However, Sufan, the shelter director in Nablus, said, 'it is difficult, the mufti [religious jurist], hospital, and court all have to agree to allow the abortion.' Salhieh, the chief prosecutor, said that prosecutors obtained permission for seven women to have abortions in 2017, all in cases in which the women alleged that the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest and they were in the early stages of pregnancy."
↑ Palestine's Abortion Problem, Foreign Policy, 4 December 2015. "Abortion, after all, is illegal under Palestinian law; while it is technically legal in order to protect the life of the mother, in practice, according to experts, it is impossible to get such a procedure. Especially for those ... who might want an abortion without the knowledge of their husbands."
↑ Law No. 3440, BACCN, 20 August 2008. Article 109.4 (in Spanish).
↑ "Guía Técnica Nacional de Aborto Terapéutico"[National Technical Guide - Therapeutic Abortion (modified 2015)](PDF). Regional Directorate of Health of Cusco, Peru (in Spanish). 2014. Archived(PDF) from the original on 19 November 2021.
1 2 The Revised Penal Code, Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, 8 December 1930. Articles 256–259.
↑ Offences Against the Person Act, Law Commission of the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis, revised edition as of 31 December 2017. Sections 53–54.
↑ Infant Life (Preservation) Act, Law Commission of the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis, revised edition as of 31 December 2002.
↑ Dr. Katarina Sedlecki (30 September 2013). "НАЦИОНАЛНИ ВОДИЧ ДОБРЕ КЛИНИЧКЕ ПРАКСЕ ЗА БЕЗБЕДНИ ПРЕКИД ТРУДНОЋЕ"[NATIONAL GOOD CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDE FOR SAFE TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY](PDF). Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia (in Serbian). Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. Archived(PDF) from the original on 23 April 2016. pdf download
↑ Understanding Abortion Access in Africa, Catholics for Choice, 19 February 2014. "Sierra Leone is one of several Commonwealth countries to model its abortion policy after England's 1938 Rex v. Bourne decision, which established necessity–that is, threats to a woman's mental and physical health–as grounds for legal abortion."
↑ "Vyhláška Ministerstva zdravotníctva Slovenskej socialistickej republiky, ktorou sa vykonáva zákon Slovenskej národnej rady č.73/1986 Zb. o umelom prerušení tehotenstva" [Decree of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Socialist Republic, which implements the Act of the Slovak National Council No. 73/1986 Coll. on abortion]. Decree No. 74 of 5 November 1986(in Slovak). Ministry of Health.
↑ Penal Code, National Directorate of Prints and Official Publications, updated on 9 July 2020 (in Spanish).
↑ "Об утверждении стандартов искусственного прерывания беременности" [On approval of standards for artificial termination of pregnancy]. Law No. 312 of 10 September 2013(in Russian). Archived from the original on 21 November 2021.
↑ Report to His Majesty the King from the Minister Keeper of the Seals (Zanardelli) at the hearing of 30 June 1889 for the approval of the final text of the penal code, pp. 145–146. "On the agreed proposal of the parliamentary commissions, the provision that was read in the bill, according to which it was declared 'not punishable the doctor or surgeon, when he justifies having acted in order to save the woman's life, endangered by the pregnancy or by childbirth', was deleted"; "The vote expressed in agreement in parliament led me to the aforesaid deletion, not to exclude the application of the concept that was expressed there, but because it was superfluous and inappropriate to declare it, providing if needed article 49 number 3, the application of which would be only, and without reason, restricted." (in Italian)
↑ Criminal abortion in the Italian penal code, Pasquale Tuozzi, Filippo Serafini Legal Archive, 1902, vol. 10, no. 3, p. 29. "However, if you want to search for a provision in our code that covers the surgeon, in addition to article 45, in which the aforesaid reason is rooted, there is also number 3 of article 49, where it is declared the nonresponsibility of one who acts compelled by the need to save himself or others from a serious and imminent danger to the person, to which he did not voluntarily give cause, and which he could not otherwise avoid. Well, these extremes of the state of necessity all apply in the case of the surgeon, who, put in the harsh condition, not created by him, extinguishes an imperfect and perhaps uncertain existence, to save a certain and real existence, which is that of the woman in childbirth." (in Italian)
↑ Trần Minh Nghĩa (24 August 2018). "HƯỚNG DÉN QUỐC GIA"[NATIONAL GUIDELINES](PDF). Ministry of Health - Government of Vietnam (in Vietnamese). Archived(PDF) from the original on 23 November 2021.
↑ Cook Islands, Population Policy Data Bank, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011.
↑ "Penal Code"(PDF). Government of Montserrat. 2008. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 December 2018.
↑ Niue Laws, Volume 3, Government of Niue, December 2006, p. 1168. Niue Act 1966, sections 166–168.
↑ Niue, Population Policy Data Bank, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations. Archived from the original on 11 January 2005.
↑ Niue Act 1966, New Zealand Government, reprint as of 1 March 2017.
↑ "INTERRUPÇÃO DA GRAVIDEZ"[PREGNANCY INTERRUPTION]. Supremo Tribunal Federal - Justice - Brazil (in Portuguese). 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014.
↑ "P. and S. v. Poland"(PDF). Center for Reproductive Rights. 11 April 2013. Archived(PDF) from the original on 25 May 2013.
Appel, Jacob M. (August 2005). "Judicial diagnosis 'conscience' vs. care how refusal clauses are reshaping the rights revolution". Medicine and Health. 88 (8): 279–281. PMID16273974.
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Color-coded map illustrating the term limits of elective abortion in Europe (in weeks from last menstrual period, fertilization or implantation)
Illegal
Legal but generally unavailable (Northern Ireland)
Legal first 5 weeks (Turkmenistan)
Legal first 10 weeks
Legal first 11 weeks (Estonia)
Legal first 12 weeks
Legal first 13 weeks (3 months, Austria, Tunisia)
Legal first 14 weeks
Legal first 18 weeks
Legal first 22 weeks (Iceland)
Legal first 24 weeks
Technically illegal, but generally available through 12 weeks (Finland)
Technically illegal, but generally available through 24 weeks (Great Britain)
Technically 12 weeks, but generally available through 22 weeks (ex-USSR)
Technically 12 weeks, but generally available through 28 weeks (ex-USSR)
Legal if the pregnancy is not from marriage; generally available under exemptions (Israel) Gestational limits for elective abortion in Europe.svg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Gestational_limits_for_elective_abortion_in_Europe.svg/290px-Gestational_limits_for_elective_abortion_in_Europe.svg.png)
