Abortion or Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP): Where is it legal?
Introduction:
The spontaneous or induced termination of pregnancy before the fetus reaches a viable age is termed as abortion or Medical Termination of Pregnancy. The legal definition of viability - usually 20 to 24 weeks – differs from state to state.
Is abortion legal?
The legality of pregnancy termination varies from country to country and even state to state. The legality can be legal, illegal or restricted under specific circumstances.
The legality of abortion varies greatly across the world. Here's a general breakdown:
- Abortion on Request: In about 77 countries, abortion is legal upon the person's request, often with some gestational limits (how many weeks into a pregnancy an abortion can be performed).
- Broad Social and Economic Grounds: In roughly 47 countries, abortion is legal on broad social or economic grounds, meaning factors beyond solely preserving a person's life are permitted.
- Preserving Health or Therapeutic Grounds: About 25 countries allow abortion in cases where the pregnancy would endanger the person's physical or mental health.
- Strictly Prohibited: In approximately 22 countries, abortion is illegal in almost all circumstances, including those where the person's life is in danger.
Here’s a list of countries with their abortion status.
Country | Legal Status | Permissible circumstance |
Illegal | · life of the mother is at risk · baby's life is endangered · baby having a severe disability or low quality of life. | |
Albania | Legal | · On request · Medical Reasons · Social Reasons |
Algeria | Illegal and heavily restricted | · Woman’s life is in danger |
Andorra | Illegal | |
Angola | Legal with restrictions | · Serious threat to the woman's life or health. · rape or incest · fetal impairment |
Antigua and Barbuda | Illegal | |
Argentina | Legal | · elective |
Armenia | Legal | · On request · Medical reasons · Social reasons |
Australia | Legal | · On request |
Austria | Legal | · On request |
Azerbaijan | Legal | · On request |
Bahamas | Legal with restrictions | · Severe congenital malformations · rape or incest · Serious threat to the woman's life or health |
Legal with restrictions | · Upon request with authorization from a panel of physicians | |
Bangladesh | Illegal | |
Barbados | Legal | · Risk to life · Physical/Mental health of the woman · Fetal impairment · Rape/Incest · Socioeconomic reasons |
Belarus | Legal | · Medical reasons · On request · Social reasons |
Belgium | ||
Belize | ||
Benin | ||
Bhutan | ||
Bolivia | ||
Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
Botswana | ||
Brazil | ||
Brunei | ||
Bulgaria | ||
Burkina Faso | ||
Burundi | ||
Côte d'Ivoire | ||
Cabo Verde | ||
Cambodia | ||
Cameroon | ||
Canada | ||
Central African Republic | ||
Chad | ||
Chile | ||
China | ||
Colombia | ||
Comoros | ||
Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) | ||
Costa Rica | ||
Croatia | ||
Cuba | ||
Cyprus | ||
Czechia (Czech Republic) | ||
Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||
Denmark | ||
Djibouti | ||
Dominica | ||
Dominican Republic | ||
Ecuador | ||
Egypt | ||
El Salvador | ||
Equatorial Guinea | ||
Eritrea | ||
Estonia | ||
Eswatini (fmr. "Swaziland") | ||
Ethiopia | ||
Fiji | ||
Finland | ||
France | ||
Gabon | ||
Gambia | ||
Georgia | ||
Germany | ||
Ghana | ||
Greece | ||
Grenada | ||
Guatemala | ||
Guinea | ||
Guinea-Bissau | ||
Guyana | ||
Haiti | ||
Holy See | ||
Honduras | ||
Hungary | ||
Iceland | ||
India | ||
Indonesia | ||
Iran | ||
Iraq | ||
Ireland | ||
Israel | ||
Italy | ||
Jamaica | ||
Japan | ||
Jordon | ||
Kazakhstan | ||
Kenya | ||
Kiribati | ||
Kuwait | ||
Kyrgyzstan | ||
Laos | ||
Latvia | ||
Lebanon | ||
Lesotho | ||
Liberia | ||
Libya | ||
Liechtenstein | ||
Lithuania | ||
Luxembourg | ||
Madagascar | ||
Malawi | ||
Malaysia | ||
Maldives | ||
Mali | ||
Malta | ||
Marshall Islands | ||
Mauritania | ||
Mauritius | ||
Mexico | ||
Micronesia | ||
Moldova | ||
Monaco | ||
Mongolia | ||
Montenegro | ||
Morocco | ||
Mozambique | ||
Myanmar | ||
Namibia | ||
Nauru | ||
Nepal | ||
Netherlands | ||
New Zealand | ||
Nicaragua | ||
Niger | ||
Nigeria | ||
North Korea | ||
North Macedonia | ||
Norway | ||
Oman | ||
Pakistan | ||
Palau | ||
Palestine State | ||
Panama | ||
Papua New Guinea | ||
Paraguay | ||
Peru | ||
Philippines | ||
Poland | ||
Portugal | ||
Qatar | ||
Romania | ||
Russia | ||
Rwanda | ||
Saint Kitts and Nevis | ||
Saint Lucia | ||
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | ||
Samoa | ||
San Marino | ||
Sao Tome and Principe | ||
Saudi Arabia | ||
Senegal | ||
Serbia | ||
Seychelles | ||
Sierra Leone | ||
Singapore | ||
Slovakia | ||
Slovenia | ||
Solomon Islands | ||
Somalia | ||
South Africa | ||
South Korea | ||
South Sudan | ||
Spain | ||
Sri Lanka | ||
Sudan | ||
Suriname | ||
Sweden | ||
Switzerland | ||
Syria | ||
Tajikistan | ||
Tanzania | ||
Thailand | ||
Timor-Leste | ||
Togo | ||
Tonga | ||
Trinidad and Tobago | ||
Tunisia | ||
Turkey | ||
Turkmenistan | ||
Tuvalu | ||
Uganda | ||
Ukraine | ||
United Kingdom | ||
United States of America | ||
Uruguay | ||
Uzbekistan | ||
Vanuatu | ||
Venezuela | ||
Vietnam | ||
Yemen | ||
Zambia | ||
Zimbabwe |
Important Notes:
- Laws are complex: Laws within a country can have many different caveats and conditions.
- Laws change: These numbers change as countries update their laws.
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