Find out where abortion is legal, illegal, and somewhere in between.
After the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade to remove the constitutional right to abortion, the topic soon trended worldwide.
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This included the Philippines, which on June 25 alone recorded over 50,000 searches related to the controversial decision.
Many world leaders including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have since criticized the measure.
“It’s a very important decision. I’ve got to tell you, I think it’s a big step backward,” Johnson said. He added that the United Kingdom’s laws reflect a woman’s right to choose.
But how about everywhere else? Here are regional differences in the abortion rights of women around the world, based on data from the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Prohibited altogether
A total of 24 countries with 90 million women of reproductive age (5 percent) fall within this category. None of their laws permit abortion under any circumstances, including the risk of death.
These are Andorra, Aruba, Congo (Brazzaville), Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Jamaica, Laos, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Palau, Philippines, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Tonga, and West Bank & Gaza Strip.
To save a woman’s life
A total of 42 countries with 360 million women of reproductive age (22 percent) fall within this category. Their laws permit abortion in the event of risk to a woman’s life.
These are Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Kiribati, Lebanon, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Venezuela, and Yemen.
To preserve health
A total of 225 million women of reproductive age (14 percent) live in countries that permit abortion on the basis of health or therapeutic grounds.
These are Algeria, Angola, Bahamas, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Rep., Chad, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Djibouti, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mauritius, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Rep. of Korea, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.
Broad social or economic grounds
A total of 386 million women of reproductive age (23 percent) live in countries that permit abortion under a broad range of circumstances. These countries usually consider a woman’s environment and circumstances in considering the potential impact of pregnancy and childbearing.
These are Barbados, Belize, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Rwanda, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Taiwan, and Zambia.
On request (gestational limits vary)
Lastly, total of 601 milion women of reproductive age (36 percent) live in 72 countries that allow abortion on request. The most common gestational limit for such countries is 12 weeks.
These are Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Rep., Dem. People’s Rep. of Korea, Denmark, Estonia, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Russian Fed., Sao Tome & Principe, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Rep., Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Banner Photo by Matteo Badini on Unsplash
