Belize, Britain, Fiji, India, Japan and Rwanda are among countries that allowabortions for a range of social and economic reasons as well. The Statista "Chart of the Day" currently focuses Between 2000 and 2017, 27 countries . The table below displays the general details of each country's legal stance on abortion. But she noted that many of the people she helps are undocumented. Rachel Elbaum is a London-based editor, producer and writer. Abortions need to be authorized by an Advisory Council of First Instance, which consists of a gynecologist, another doctor, a social worker, and maybe a nurse practitioner, after the first 10 weeks. "Partial-Birth" Abortion: 21 states have laws in effect that prohibit "partial-birth" abortion. Abortions after 20 weeks in Western Australia are highly restricted but often need the consent of two doctors. For example, many European countries limit on-request abortions to the first trimester, more restrictive than much of the United States. 25 of these countries explicitly permit abortion to preserve the woman's mental health, of reproductive age live in countries that allow abortion on health grounds, of reproductive age live in countries that allow abortion on broad social or economic grounds, of reproductive age live in countries that allow abortion on request, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Download attachment: The World's Abortion Laws, Explanation of Categories of Abortion Laws, Accessibility, Acceptability, Availability and Quality Framework. It also stores information about how the user uses the website for tracking and targeting. Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, only allows abortion if the person's life is at risk or when the pregnancy is the result of rape. Polish society has been split over issue. But many of these changes have been truly transformative, overturning absolute bans on abortion in favor of womens reproductive autonomy. Abortion, the process of prematurely terminating a pregnancy through surgical means, has always been a controversial subject. Despite opposition from the Catholic Church, the Beninese parliament approved a new law in October that helped facilitateabortion. Since 2000, 38 countries have changed their abortion laws, and all but oneNicaragua expanded the legal grounds on which women can access abortion services. Studies have shown that women denied access to abortion are markedly more likely to descend into poverty as a result of the added financial burden of caring for an additional child. U.S. Supreme Court, Brief of European legal scholars as amici curiae in support of neither party, July 28, 2021. Paula Avila-Guillen, executive director of the Womens Equality Center, compared the new Texas law to the total abortion bans that El Salvador and Honduras have. The cookie is used for online advertising by creating user profile based on their preferences. Countries where abortion is legal: The conversation on issues regarding abortion continues to gain momentum with each year. Effective from the start of 2021, South Korea decriminalized abortion until the 14th week of pregnancy. [The latest action on abortion legislation across the states]. The worst states for abortion access are West Virginia, Missouri, and Wyoming. Access to the procedure has increasingly declined in more than a dozen states around the country. Sammy Westfall is an assistant editor on The Washington Post's Foreign desk. Access to abortion has become easier over the decades, according to Leah Hoctor, the senior regional director for Europe at the Center for Reproductive Rights. The World's Abortion Laws - Center for Reproductive Rights The World's Abortion Laws On Request (Gestational Limits Vary) Access In-Depth Resources Review Abortion Law and Policy Guide Mapping the Trends See Accelerating Progress Stay Informed Have a question? This cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website. The laws ranged from funding constraints and restrictions for. According to a Centre daction laque survey from 2018, 75.4% of Belgians agreed that abortion shouldnt be criminalized, while 16.6% opposed, 5.7% said they werent sure, and 2.3% couldnt decide. 8. Mental Health Abortion is legal when pregnancy puts the woman's mental/emotional health at risk. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. A decision to partially decriminalize abortion in Chile in 2017 is an example of global progress toward eliminating legal barriers to accessing abortion. Additional abortions are permitted if the womans life is in danger or the fetus seems to be at risk of giving born abnormally. World Abortion Laws - Center for Reproductive Rights - 2021, Global Abortion Policies Database - World Health Organization, Abortion Laws: Global Comparisons - Council of Foreign Relations, State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy - Guttmacher Institute, These States Will Ban Abortion Now That Roe Is Overturned - Huffpost. Need infographics, animated videos, presentations, data research or social media charts? While each state still had its own set of legal guidelines for abortion, with some being far more restrictive than others, abortion was nonetheless legal in every part of the country. With guns not doctors! Greg Gianforte signed into law three bills restricting abortion: HB136 bans abortion at 20 weeks, HB140 requires doctors to offer patients an opportunity to view an ultrasound and . 13 countries fall within this category. "If enough states prohibit this,there might be some places where it's cheaper or easier to travel internationally to Mexico or Canada, in particular, than it is to travel to another state," saidGlenn Cohen, a Harvard Law School professor who specializes in bioethics and the lawand authored"Patients with Passports," among other books. [10] When people face barriers to obtaining safe abortions, they often resort to unsafe procedures, according to the WHO, and unsafe abortions are more common in countries with restrictive laws. Moreover, the government vigorously enforces the ban. However, it was announced in April 2021 that critics of the law had gathered enough valid signatures to call for a national referendum, which will take place on Sept. 26, 2021. Abortion is governed by a variety of laws across Africa's 50-plus countries. Abortion was made legal across the entire the United States by the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. In September, the Supreme Court in Mexico, Latin America's second most populous country, declared an absolute ban on abortion unconstitutional. Countries that have recently relaxed abortion restrictions Colombia Colombia's highest constitutional court ruled in February to legalize the procedure until the 24th week of pregnancy. France, for example, has a gestational limit of 16 weeks, Spains limit is 14 weeks and Italys is 90 days. The Center for Reproductive Rights notes that a new penal code is set to take effect in Haiti in July, decriminalizing abortions up to 12 weeks in cases of rape, incest or "if the physical/mental health of the women is in danger," but critics think the code could be changed before implementation. After that, any termination would have to be backed up with reasons provided for in their abortion statutes, primarily the reason of mother-preservation. The enabling legal environment is really just the first step toward enabling people to actually exercise reproductive autonomy and to access safe abortion care, said Katherine Mayall, the director of strategic initiatives at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which advocates for expanded abortion access worldwide. After a series of debates and national discuss, the law was amended to provided for circumstances that would warrant termination after twelve weeks. It helps in consumer profiling for online advertising. The legality of abortion, however, does affect how safe those abortions are. non-commercial websites. 11. by Cameron LeBlanc. CEFC OVERTURNED:Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, eliminating constitutional right to abortion, STATE LAWS:How abortion laws in each state will stand if Roe v. Wade is overturned. In the United Kingdom, the limit for termination is twenty-four weeks. Warning: This graphic requires JavaScript. And while abortion in the first three months of pregnancy was decriminalized in South Korea in January of 2021, it is not clear if the procedure is widely available to those seeking it. Legality is one thing. Albania Armenia Argentina Australia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Benin Bosnia-Herzegovina. While a majority of women live in countries where they can exercise their right to abortion, 41 percent of women live under restrictive laws. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. Changes that have been brewing for decades are on the cusp of overturning Americans' access to abortion. Anyone who performs an abortion risks up to 10 years in prison. Provided the abortion is conducted in a regular hospital, the patient is not charged. Does Statista also create infographics in a customized design? Latin America's largest country has not completely outlawed abortion, but it does consider abortion a crime in all but a few select circumstances: When the pregnant woman was raped, when the pregnancy is the result of incest/sexual activity with a family member, or when the woman's life would be endangered by continuing the pregnancy. Countries where abortion is illegal includes; Malta, Nicaragua, El Salvado and Dominic Republic. Abortion is a crime in El Salvador, which has some of the worlds most restrictive laws. Colombias highest constitutional court ruled in February to legalize the procedure until the 24th week of pregnancy. In short, tracking the legal status of abortion shows us where women and girls are treated with equality and are afforded the opportunity to direct the course of their own lives. Many countries have several laws that guide abortion access, ranging from health acts, criminal codes, ethics codes and specific laws. Can I integrate infographics into my blog or website? Why is China cracking down on prominent business figures? He attributed this fact to the combination of widespread availability of effective contraceptives, like birth control pills, and a culture that openly talks about sex and provides sexual education. However, most countries have adopted a more nuanced approach. Abortion laws in the United States are in flux as of 2022. - Poland in January 2021 put into effect a constitutional court decision prohibiting abortions performed due to fetal defects, banning the most common of the few legal grounds for terminating a . Colombia: Due to a judgment by the Constitutional Court on February 21, 2022, abortion in Colombia is free to be performed whenever it is desired and without limitations up to the 24th week of pregnancy.