Abortion Around the World

Let’s explore abortion around the world, in a visual format.

Some statistics for you…
24 countries prohibit abortion
41 allow abortion to save a woman’s life
48 allow abortion to preserve health
13 allow abortion on socioeconomic grounds
75 allow abortion on request (with gestational limits)

Countries included:

China
India
USA
Indonesia
Pakistan
Nigeria
Brazil
Bangladesh
Russia
Mexico

The following timeline illustrates abortion rights in the top 10 most populous countries throughout the 19th-21st centuries:

In conclusion…
China
Abortion is accessible to all women, in public and private hospitals countrywide. There is not much debate surrounding the morality of it, as traditional Chinese beliefs perceive the right to live as starting at birth.

India
Abortion is legal for rape victims and in case of severe fetal anomaly, but it requires a long process of approval, resulting in it being inaccessible to many people.

U.S.
The legality of abortion depends on the states. As of now, many states are split between protecting abortion and making it illegal.

Indonesia
Abortion is legal in medical emergencies, as well as in cases of severe fetal anomaly. It’s also legal for cases of rape before six weeks of gestation have passed. The process is severely complicated and ambiguous, and many people are unable to obtain an abortion. For every 100,000 live births, there are 305 maternal deaths.

Pakistan
Policies are generally against abortion, except in ambiguous cases of “good faith” or “necessary treatment”. Many women attempt to get unsafe abortions, which majorly contributes to avoidable injuries and death. In 2002, 197,000 women were estimated to have been hospitalized for unsafe abortion complications.

Nigeria
Abortion laws in Nigeria have not changed since 1861. They remain illegal, unless done to save the life of a pregnant woman. Around 50.6 per 1,000 women of reproductive age attempt to get an abortion, making it one of the highest rates in the world.

Brazil
Many women attempt to buy Misoprostol on the black market in order to get an illegal abortion. Abortion is legal only to save a woman’s life, or if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. Unsafe abortions are the fourth leading cause of maternal deaths in the country.

Bangladesh
Abortion is only legal to save a woman’s life. However, Menstrual Regulation, which is used to bring back regular menstruation, is available. Many women are unaware of this, and gestational limits are unclear, which causes many people to be incorrectly denied when attempting to find Menstrual Regulation care.

Russia
Abortion is legal on request until the 12th week of pregnancy, and it is also available in later pregnancies under special circumstances.

Mexico
There are no national-level regulations on abortion. 8 out of 32 states, as well as Mexico City, are working on providing safe paths to abortion. what can you do?:

You can visit https://reproductiverights.org/get-involved/ to learn more about abortion, and how you can act on it. If you live in the U.S., abortion will be an important topic of conflict in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate. Encourage the adults around you to learn about the potential candidates and how to vote for them.