International abortion law
There are no international abortion treaties but human rights law cover abortion indirectly
The American Convention on Human Rights declares human life as commencing with conception
A court ruled that the European Convention on Human Rights did not include a right to an abortion.
In 2005 the UNHRC ordered Peru to compensate a woman for denying her a medically indicated abortion
This was the first time a United Nations had held any country accountable for not ensuring access to safe abortion
The UN HRC also found Ireland's abortion laws violated International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2016
Unstricted abortion laws
Unstricted abortion laws exist in Mozambique, Tunisia, South Africa, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cuba & Cape Verde
China, North Korea, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, Armenia,, Cyprus,, Georgia, Turkey & Luxembourg
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Tajikistan, Austria, Uzbekistan, France, Uruguay, Slovakia & Ukraine
Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Netherlands, Belgium & Switzerland
Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Canada, Mexico , Germany & USA
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, & Macedonia
Abortion laws in Europe
Abortion is legal Europe except in Malta, Northern Ireland, Vatican City, San Marino, Liechtenstein and Andorra
The other states with existent, but less severe restrictions are Poland and Monaco.
All the remaining states make abortion legal on request or for social and economic reasons during the first trimester.
Most countries in the European Union allow abortion on demand during the first trimester
After the first trimester, abortion is allowed only if it is a risk to woman's life or health or there are fetal defects
Malta is the only EU country that bans abortion in all cases and does not have an exception
Abortion laws in USA
Abortion is legal in all U.S. states, and every state has at least one abortion clinic
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide
The Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) said sates cannot place legal restrictions on abortion of a nonviable fetus."
Under Roe v. Wade, states may not prohibit late terminations to preserve the life or health of the mother"
Abortion in the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States Commonwealth territory, is illegal.
Alabama House Republicans passed a law on April 30, 2019 that will criminalize abortion if it goes into effect
Abortion law in South Africa
Abortion in South Africa was legal only under very limited circumstances until 1 February 1997
When the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (Act 92 of 1996) came into force, providing abortion on demand
Any woman can get an abortion on demand if she is less than 13 weeks pregnant.
If she is between 13 and 20 weeks pregnant, she can get the abortion to save her life or the there are fetal defects
A woman under the age of 18 is advised to consult her parents, but she can decide not to
Nurses who have received special training may also perform abortions up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
Total abortion law ban
There are a few countries were abortion is totally illegal such as Malta, and the Vatican City,
Others include the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua
South Korea has a total ban on abortion althoug it was judged "against the constitution".
Some countries have a technical ban on abortion only allowing it to save a womans life
These are Djibouti, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Somalia, South Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Lesotho, Mauritania, & Senegal
Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe
Restrictive abortion laws
25% of the world's population lives in countries with "highly restrictive abortion laws" (total ban or allow to save mother)
Countries with restrictive abortion laws include those in Latina America, Africa and Euroean ones like Northern Ireland .
Latin America is the region with the most restrictive abortion laws.
Fewer than 3% of the women in this region live in countries with liberal abortion laws
Exceptions in abortion law
Legal domains which do not have abortion on demand will often allow it when the health of the mother is at stake.
Thirteen US states allowed abortion in the case of either rape or incest
Mississippi permitted abortion of pregnancies due to rape, and no state permitted it for just incest.
Many countries allow for abortion only through the first or second trimester in cases of fetal defects
Abortion law in the USA
Abortion is legal in all U.S. states, and every state has at least one abortion clinic
The U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade decriminalized abortion nationwide in 1973
The main actors in the abortion debate are most often labeled either as "pro-choice" or "pro-life"
There are roughly 30 abortions for every 1,000 women of reproductive age in the US.