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Abortion law

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.

Legality of abortion by country or territory
Legal on request:
  No gestational limit
  Gestational limit after the first 17 weeks
  Gestational limit in the first 17 weeks
  Unclear gestational limit
Legally restricted to cases of:
  Risk to woman's life, to her health*, rape*, fetal impairment*, failure of contraception* or socioeconomic factors
  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 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,[1][2] due to unavailability of modern contraceptives in areas where abortion is illegal.[3] Also according to the study, the number of abortions worldwide is declining due to increased access to contraception.[1][2]

History

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.[4] 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, also referred to as "pro-life" 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.[5][6] 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 regime 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.[7][page needed] 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.[8][9][6] 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,[10] amended in May 1949 to allow abortions for economic reasons.[11] 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?][12][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."[13]

Timeline of abortion on request

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 2023, 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 (e.g., leading to the exclusion of Australia, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States). Countries are counted even if they were not yet independent at the time. The year refers to when the relevant law or judicial decision came into force, which may be different from the year when it was approved.

Year legalized Countries CpY CC
1955 (  Armenia   Azerbaijan   Belarus   Estonia   Georgia   Kazakhstan   Kyrgyzstan   Latvia   Lithuania   Moldova   Russia   Tajikistan   Turkmenistan   Ukraine   Uzbekistan as part of the Soviet Union) 15 15
1957   China[14][a][b]   Czech Republic   Slovakia (as part of Czechoslovakia)[c] 3 18
1965   Cuba 1 19
1973   Denmark   Tunisia[20] 2 21
1974   Singapore   Sweden 2 23
1975   Austria   France[d]   Vietnam[e] 3 26
1977 (  Bosnia and Herzegovina   Croatia   Montenegro   North Macedonia   Serbia   Slovenia as part of Yugoslavia) 6 32
1978   Italy   Luxembourg 2 34
1979   Norway[f][g] 1 35
1983   Turkey 1 36
1984   Netherlands[h] 1 37
1986   Cape Verde   Greece 2 39
1988   Canada 1 40
1989   Mongolia[27] 1 41
1990   Belgium   Bulgaria   Romania 3 44
1992   Germany[i] 1 45
1993   Guinea-Bissau[28][29] 1 46
1995   Guyana 1 47
1996   Albania[j] 1 48
1997   Cambodia   South Africa 2 50
2002   Nepal   Switzerland 2 52
2007   Portugal 1 53
2010   Spain 1 54
2012   São Tomé and Príncipe[31]   Uruguay 2 56
2015   Mozambique[k] 1 57
2018   Cyprus 1 58
2019   Iceland   Ireland[l] 2 60
2020   New Zealand 1 61
2021   Argentina[m]   South Korea   Thailand 3 64
2022   Colombia   San Marino 2 66
2023   Finland 1 67

International law

There are no international or multinational treaties that deal directly with abortion but human rights law and International criminal law touch on the issues.

The Nuremberg Military Tribunal decided the case of United States v Greifelt and Others (1948) on the basis that abortion was a crime within its jurisdiction according to the law defining crimes against humanity and thus within its definition of murder and extermination.[35]

The Catholic Church remains highly influential in Latin America, and opposes the legalisation of abortion.[36] The American Convention on Human Rights, which in 2013 had 23 Latin American parties, declares human life as commencing with conception. In Latin America, abortion on request is only legal in Cuba (1965), Uruguay (2012),[37] Argentina (2021),[34] Colombia (2022)[38] and in parts of Mexico.[39][40] Abortions are completely banned in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, and only allowed in certain restricted circumstances in most other Latin American nations.[36]

In the 2010 case of A, B and C v Ireland, the European Court of Human Rights found that the European Convention on Human Rights did not include a right to an abortion.

In 2005, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UN HRC) ordered Peru to compensate a woman (known as K.L.) for denying her a medically indicated abortion; this was the first time a United Nations Committee had held any country accountable for not ensuring access to safe, legal abortion, and the first time the committee affirmed that abortion is a human right.[41] K.L. received the compensation in 2016.[41] In the 2016 case of Mellet v Ireland, the UN HRC found Ireland's abortion laws violated International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights because Irish law banned abortion in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities.

National laws

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,[42] 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.[42]

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.[42]: 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.[43]

Roe V. Wade has been established in the US for almost 50 years, put into motion in 1973,  before its overturn in 2022 due to Dobbs v. Jackson. This ruling made abortion access not a constitutional right. The decision, most of which was leaked in early May, means that abortion rights will be rolled back in nearly half of the states immediately, with more restrictions likely to follow. For all practical purposes, abortion will not be available in large swaths of the country.[1] 13 States, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming enacted a trigger law which placed an immediate but varying statewide abortion ban immediately following the overturning. These trigger laws were designed specifically to take effect immediately upon the fall of the Roe precedent. Other states, were bans are in effect after 6 weeks gestation, including Idaho, Tennessee, and Texas – have similar laws, which would take effect after 30 days of the overturning.[2][44]

Pill abortion access is legal in 36 states. However, a lawsuit in Texas is currently against the production and distribution of this Abortion pill, misoprostol. The ban would affect millions of women in the US who cannot access a medical procedural abortion due to a state ban. The group suing the FDA has asked for a preliminary injunction to take one of the two drugs used in a medication abortion, mifepristone, off the market while the case plays out.[3] This will effectively cause a nationwide ban of pill abortion if granted.[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".
permitted, with complex legality or practice
varies by subdivision
prohibited, with complex legality or practice
prohibited
unknown or unclear

Countries

The table below summarizes the legal grounds for abortion in all United Nations member states and United Nations General Assembly observer states and some countries with limited recognition. This table is mostly based on data compiled by the United Nations up to 2019,[46] with some updates, additions and clarifications citing other sources.

Legal grounds on which abortion is permitted in independent countries
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Abkhazia[47] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Afghanistan permitted[n] prohibited prohibited prohibited[n] prohibited[n] prohibited
  Albania[30] 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks no limit 22 weeks 12 weeks
  Algeria[54] permitted permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Andorra prohibited[o] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Angola[p] permitted permitted 16 weeks permitted prohibited prohibited
  Antigua and Barbuda[59] permitted[q] prohibited[r] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Argentina[34] no limit no limit no limit 14 weeks 14 weeks 14 weeks
  Armenia[62] permitted permitted permitted permitted 22 weeks 12 weeks
  Australia [subdivisions] no limit no limit permitted no limit permitted varies[s]
  Australian Capital Territory[65][66] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit
  Christmas Island[t] no limit no limit 20 weeks no limit 20 weeks 20 weeks
  Cocos Islands[u] no limit no limit 20 weeks no limit 20 weeks 20 weeks
 Jervis Bay Territory[v] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit
  New South Wales[70] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit 22 weeks
  Norfolk Island[w] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit
  Northern Territory[74] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit prohibited[x]
  Queensland[75] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit 22 weeks
  South Australia[76] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit 22 weeks and 6 days
  Tasmania[77] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit 16 weeks
  Victoria[78] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit 24 weeks
  Western Australia[79][y] no limit no limit 20 weeks no limit 20 weeks 20 weeks
  Austria[81] no limit no limit 3 months[z] no limit 3 months[z] 3 months[z]
  Azerbaijan[82] no limit no limit permitted permitted 22 weeks 12 weeks
  Bahamas[83] permitted permitted[aa] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Bahrain permitted prohibited[ab] prohibited[ab] prohibited[ab] prohibited[ab] prohibited[ab]
  Bangladesh no limit prohibited[ac] prohibited[ac] prohibited[ac] prohibited[ac] prohibited[ac]
  Barbados[86] no limit no limit 12 weeks no limit 12 weeks prohibited
  Belarus[ad] no limit no limit 22 weeks no limit 22 weeks 12 weeks
  Belgium[90] no limit no limit 14 weeks[ae] no limit 14 weeks[ae] 14 weeks[ae]
  Belize no limit no limit prohibited no limit permitted prohibited
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Benin[92] permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks prohibited
  Bhutan[af] 180 days 180 days[ag] 180 days 180 days[ag] prohibited prohibited
  Bolivia 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks[ah] prohibited prohibited
  Bosnia and Herzegovina [subdivisions] no limit no limit permitted permitted permitted 10 weeks
 Brčko District[ai] no limit no limit 20 weeks 20 weeks 10 weeks 10 weeks
 Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina[ai] no limit no limit 20 weeks 20 weeks 10 weeks 10 weeks
  Republika Srpska[98] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit 10 weeks
  Botswana[99] 16 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks 16 weeks prohibited prohibited
  Brazil 22 weeks[aj] prohibited 22 weeks[aj] prohibited[aj] prohibited prohibited
  Brunei[104] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Bulgaria[105] no limit 20 weeks permitted no limit 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Burkina Faso[106] no limit no limit 14 weeks no limit prohibited prohibited
  Burundi permitted permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited[ak] prohibited
  Cambodia[108] no limit 12 weeks no limit no limit 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Cameroon[109] permitted 28 weeks 28 weeks prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Canada[al] [subdivisions] permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted
  Alberta permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 20 weeks
  British Columbia permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 23 weeks and 6 days
  Manitoba permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 19 weeks and 6 days
  New Brunswick permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 16 weeks
  Newfoundland and Labrador permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 15 weeks
  Northwest Territories permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 19 weeks and 6 days
  Nova Scotia permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 16 weeks
  Nunavut permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks
  Ontario permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 23 weeks and 6 days
  Prince Edward Island permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks and 6 days
  Quebec permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 23 weeks and 6 days
  Saskatchewan permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 18 weeks and 6 days
  Yukon permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks and 6 days
  Cape Verde[112] no limit no limit 12 weeks permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Central African Republic 8 weeks prohibited[am] 8 weeks 8 weeks prohibited prohibited
  Chad permitted permitted permitted permitted prohibited prohibited
  Chile[114] no limit prohibited 12 weeks[an] permitted prohibited prohibited
  China[a][115][116][b] permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted
  Colombia no limit[ao] no limit[ao] no limit[ao] no limit[ao] 24 weeks[ao] 24 weeks[ao]
  Comoros[119] permitted permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Congo permitted[ap] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Costa Rica permitted permitted prohibited[aq] prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Croatia[123] no limit no limit no limit no limit 10 weeks 10 weeks
  Cuba[124][125] no limit 22 weeks no limit 35 weeks 22 weeks 12 weeks
  Cyprus[126] permitted permitted 19 weeks permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Czech Republic[127][128] no limit permitted[ar] 12 weeks no limit 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Democratic Republic of the Congo permitted[as] permitted[at] permitted[at] permitted[at] prohibited prohibited
  Denmark[132] no limit no limit no limit no limit no limit 12 weeks[au]
  Djibouti[133][134][135] permitted permitted[aa] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Dominica[136] permitted prohibited[av] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Dominican Republic[138] prohibited[aw] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  East Timor[ax] no limit prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Ecuador permitted permitted permitted[ay] prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Egypt[146][147] permitted permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  El Salvador[148] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Equatorial Guinea[149] 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks prohibited prohibited
  Eritrea[150] permitted permitted permitted prohibited[az] prohibited[az] prohibited[az]
  Estonia[151] 22 weeks 22 weeks 12 weeks[ba] 22 weeks 12 weeks[ba] 12 weeks[ba]
  Eswatini[152] permitted permitted permitted permitted prohibited prohibited
  Ethiopia[153][154][155] 28 weeks 28 weeks 28 weeks 28 weeks prohibited[bb] prohibited
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Fiji[157] no limit no limit 20 weeks no limit prohibited prohibited
  Finland[158][bc] no limit no limit 20 weeks 24 weeks 20 weeks 12 weeks
  France[160][bd] no limit no limit 16 weeks[be] no limit 16 weeks[be] 16 weeks[be]
  Gabon[163] 10 weeks prohibited[bf] 10 weeks 10 weeks prohibited prohibited
  Gambia[164][165][166] permitted prohibited prohibited permitted prohibited prohibited
  Georgia[167][168] 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Germany no limit no limit 12 weeks 12 weeks[bg] 12 weeks[bg] 12 weeks[bg]
  Ghana 28 weeks 28 weeks 28 weeks 28 weeks prohibited prohibited
  Greece[171] no limit no limit 19 weeks 24 weeks 12 weeks[bh] 12 weeks[bh]
  Grenada[172] permitted permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Guatemala[173][174] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Guinea permitted permitted permitted permitted prohibited prohibited
  Guinea-Bissau[28][175] permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted
  Guyana[176] no limit no limit 16 weeks 16 weeks 8 weeks[bi] 8 weeks[bi]
  Haiti[bj] permitted[bk] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Honduras[179] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Hungary no limit 12 weeks[bl] 12 weeks[bl] 20 weeks[bm] 12 weeks[bl] prohibited
  Iceland[181] no limit no limit permitted no limit permitted 22 weeks
  India[182][183] no limit 24 weeks 24 weeks 24 weeks[bn] 24 weeks[bo] prohibited
  Indonesia[184][185] no limit no limit 14 weeks no limit prohibited prohibited
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Iran[186][187][188] 4 months 4 months prohibited[bp] 4 months prohibited prohibited
  Iraq permitted[bq] prohibited[br] prohibited prohibited[br] prohibited prohibited
  Ireland[194] viability[bs] viability[bs] 12 weeks permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Israel permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted[bt] prohibited[bt]
  Italy[196] no limit viability 90 days 90 days 90 days 90 days
  Ivory Coast permitted prohibited[bu] permitted prohibited[bu] prohibited prohibited
  Jamaica permitted[bv] permitted[bw] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Japan[203] 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks prohibited 22 weeks prohibited
  Jordan[204] permitted permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Kazakhstan[205][206] no limit no limit 22 weeks no limit 22 weeks 12 weeks
  Kenya[207][208] permitted permitted permitted[bx] prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Kiribati[211] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Kosovo[212] no limit no limit 22 weeks no limit 10 weeks 10 weeks
  Kuwait[213] permitted 4 months prohibited 4 months prohibited prohibited
  Kyrgyzstan[214][215] no limit no limit 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks 12 weeks
  Laos permitted[by] 28 weeks[by] 28 weeks[by] 28 weeks[by] 28 weeks[by] prohibited[by]
  Latvia[219][220] permitted 24 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Lebanon[221] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Lesotho[222] permitted permitted permitted permitted prohibited prohibited
  Liberia[223] 24 weeks 24 weeks 24 weeks 24 weeks prohibited prohibited
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Libya[224][225] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Liechtenstein[226] permitted permitted permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Lithuania[227] no limit no limit 12 weeks[bz] no limit 12 weeks[bz] 12 weeks[bz]
  Luxembourg[228] no limit no limit 14 weeks no limit 14 weeks 14 weeks
  Madagascar prohibited[ca] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Malawi[232] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Malaysia[233] 22 weeks 22 weeks prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Maldives[cb] no limit prohibited 120 days 120 days[cc] prohibited prohibited
  Mali[238][239] permitted permitted[aa] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Malta prohibited[cd] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Marshall Islands permitted[bk] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Mauritania permitted[ce] prohibited[ce] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Mauritius[246] no limit no limit 14 weeks no limit prohibited prohibited
  Mexico[247] [subdivisions] varies[cf] varies[cg] permitted[ch] varies[cg] varies[cg] varies[cg]
  Aguascalientes[252][253] permitted permitted[ci] permitted permitted[ci] permitted[ci] permitted[ci]
  Baja California[254] permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Baja California Sur[255] permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Campeche[256] permitted permitted 12 weeks[ch] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Chiapas[257] permitted prohibited[cg] 90 days[ch] permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Chihuahua[258] permitted permitted 90 days[ch] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Coahuila[259] permitted permitted[cj] 90 days[ch] permitted permitted[cj] permitted[cj]
  Colima[260] permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Durango[261] permitted prohibited[cg] permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Guanajuato[262] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Guerrero[263] permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Hidalgo[264] permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Jalisco[265] permitted permitted permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Mexico City[266][267] permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Mexico State[268] permitted prohibited[cg] permitted permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Michoacán[269] permitted permitted 12 weeks[ch] permitted 12 weeks prohibited[cg]
  Morelos[270] permitted prohibited[cg] permitted permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Nayarit[271] permitted permitted permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Nuevo León[272] permitted permitted permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Oaxaca[273] permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Puebla[274] permitted prohibited[cg] permitted permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Querétaro[275] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Quintana Roo[276][277] permitted permitted 12 weeks[ch] permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  San Luis Potosí[278] permitted prohibited[cg] permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Sinaloa[279] permitted permitted permitted permitted 13 weeks 13 weeks
  Sonora[280] permitted prohibited[cg] permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Tabasco[281] permitted prohibited[cg] permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Tamaulipas[282] permitted permitted permitted prohibited prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Tlaxcala[283] permitted permitted permitted permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Veracruz[284] permitted permitted permitted permitted 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Yucatán[285] permitted prohibited[cg] permitted permitted permitted prohibited[cg]
  Zacatecas[286] permitted permitted permitted prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg] prohibited[cg]
  Micronesia permitted[bk] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Moldova[287] 21 weeks 21 weeks 21 weeks 21 weeks 21 weeks 12 weeks[ck]
  Monaco no limit no limit 12 weeks no limit prohibited prohibited
  Mongolia 23 weeks 23 weeks permitted permitted 14 weeks 14 weeks
  Montenegro[288] 32 weeks 32 weeks 20 weeks 20 weeks 10 weeks 10 weeks
  Morocco[cl] no limit permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Mozambique no limit no limit 16 weeks 24 weeks[cm] 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Myanmar[294][295] no limit prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Namibia permitted permitted permitted permitted prohibited prohibited
  Nauru[296] no limit no limit 20 weeks 20 weeks prohibited prohibited
  Nepal[297][needs update] 28 weeks 28 weeks 28 weeks 28 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Netherlands[cn] no limit no limit 24 weeks no limit 24 weeks 24 weeks
  New Zealand[298] no limit no limit permitted permitted permitted 20 weeks
  Nicaragua prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Niger permitted permitted prohibited permitted prohibited prohibited
  Nigeria [subdivisions] permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Abia permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Adamawa permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Akwa Ibom permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Anambra permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Bauchi permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Bayelsa permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Benue permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Borno permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Cross River permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Delta permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Ebonyi permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Edo permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Ekiti permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Enugu permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Federal Capital Territory permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Gombe permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Imo permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Jigawa permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Kaduna permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Kano permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Katsina permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Kebbi permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Kogi permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Kwara permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Lagos permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Nasarawa permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Niger permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Ogun permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Ondo permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Osun permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Oyo permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Plateau permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Rivers permitted prohibited[co] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Sokoto permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Taraba permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Yobe permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Zamfara permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Northern Cyprus[301] permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted 10 weeks
  North Korea permitted[cp] permitted[cp] unclear[cp] permitted[cp] unclear[cp] unclear[cp]
  North Macedonia no limit no limit 22 weeks[cq] 22 weeks[cq] 22 weeks[cq] 12 weeks
  Norway[f] no limit no limit 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks 12 weeks
  Oman permitted[cr] permitted[cr] prohibited 120 days[cr] prohibited prohibited
  Pakistan[312][313] no limit organ formation[cs] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Palau permitted[ct] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Palestine permitted[cu] prohibited[cu] prohibited[cu] prohibited[cu] prohibited prohibited
  Panama[322][323] no limit prohibited 2 months 24 weeks prohibited prohibited
  Papua New Guinea[324] permitted prohibited[cv] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Paraguay[328] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Peru[329] 22 weeks 22 weeks prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Philippines[330] prohibited[cw] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Poland[333] no limit no limit 13 weeks prohibited[cx] prohibited[cy] prohibited
  Portugal[336] no limit no limit 16 weeks 24 weeks 10 weeks 10 weeks
  Qatar[337][338] no limit 4 months prohibited 4 months prohibited prohibited
  Romania[339] no limit permitted permitted permitted permitted 14 weeks
  Russia[340][341][342] permitted permitted 22 weeks no limit 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Rwanda[343] no limit no limit 22 weeks no limit prohibited prohibited
  Saint Kitts and Nevis permitted permitted[cz] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Saint Lucia[346] no limit no limit 12 weeks prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[347] permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted prohibited
  Samoa[348] 20 weeks 20 weeks prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  San Marino[349] viability[da] viability viability 12 weeks[db] 12 weeks 12 weeks
  São Tomé and Príncipe[31] no limit no limit no limit 16 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Saudi Arabia[350] no limit 4 months 40 days[dc] 40 days[dc] prohibited prohibited
  Senegal permitted[dd] prohibited[dd] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Serbia[357][358] no limit no limit no limit no limit 10 weeks 10 weeks
  Seychelles 12 weeks[de] 12 weeks[de] 12 weeks[de] 12 weeks[de] prohibited prohibited
  Sierra Leone permitted[df] permitted[df] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Singapore[368] no limit no limit 24 weeks 24 weeks 24 weeks 24 weeks
  Slovakia[369][370] no limit permitted[dg] 12 weeks no limit 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Slovenia[371] no limit no limit 10 weeks 10 weeks 10 weeks 10 weeks
  Solomon Islands[372] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Somalia[373][374][dh] permitted[di] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  South Africa no limit 20 weeks 20 weeks no limit 20 weeks 12 weeks
  South Korea[dj] permitted 24 weeks 24 weeks permitted permitted[dk] permitted[dk]
  South Ossetia[380][better source needed] permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted
  South Sudan[381] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Spain[382] 22 weeks 22 weeks 14 weeks 22 weeks[dl] 14 weeks 14 weeks
  Sri Lanka[383] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Sudan[384] no limit prohibited 90 days[dm] prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Suriname permitted[dn] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Sweden[386] no limit no limit 18 weeks 18 weeks 18 weeks 18 weeks
  Switzerland[387] no limit no limit 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks 12 weeks
  Syria[388] permitted prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Taiwan[389][390] no limit no limit 24 weeks no limit 24 weeks prohibited
  Tajikistan[391] permitted 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks 22 weeks 12 weeks
  Tanzania[do] no limit permitted[dp] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Thailand[395][396] no limit no limit no limit no limit 20 weeks 20 weeks
Country Risk to life Risk to health Rape Fetal impairment Economic or social On request
  Togo[397] permitted permitted permitted permitted prohibited prohibited
  Tonga permitted[dq] prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited prohibited
  Transnistria[400] no limit no limit 22 weeks[dr] no limit 22 weeks[dr] 12 weeks[dr]