Countries where abortion is legal: The conversation on issues regarding abortion continues to gain momentum with each year. The earlier Anglo-American division of pro-life and pro-choice has further disintegrated to make room for more politically relevant debates such as periods or conditions; the most being a question of what is/should be criminal and what is not. What this means is that, between the countries that have legalised abortion, there still remains a faction that is of the opinion that abortion should be illegal, once it is past a certain period.
In total, there are 63 countries where women are allowed to request for adoption. However, with the exception of Canada, there are conditions and reasons provided by law for such request.
Furthermore, there is a period in which the request would be lawful and permitted in these territories. The traditional legal ground for allowing abortion is in situations where such termination is to preserve the life of the mother. It could also be allowed of grounds of protecting the mental health of mothers, and to avoid physical incapacitation where there is a reason for such belief.
In fewer countries, the defence of abnormal circumstances can stand. These circumstances include rape, incest, impregnation based on deceit, etc. Finally, the smallest of this faction make room for cases of foetal anomaly.
On the other hand, you have countries that have remained insistent on their draconian laws to criminalize abortion; with some penalties stretching to almost 30 years for ‘aggravated homicide’ and related offences.
The connecting factor between countries that have insisted on keeping their laws is the subject of religious belief. Take the Vatican City for example. There, all forms of termination are illegal and deeply criminalized. No condition is valid enough to stand as a defense for them because of Catholicism/Christainity. Countries where abortion is illegal includes; Malta, Nicaragua, El Salvado and Dominic Republic.
1. China: One of the greatest things the Chinese government has done in terms of termination of pregnancy is the declaration that selective abortion was now illegal in the country.
2. Mexico: In Mexico, one of the largest roman catholic countries, a court ruling this year stopped women from getting victimized or dragged to the coffers of justice for requesting for abortion.
3. United States: Prior to 2022, the abortion was fully lawful in all parts of the United States. A woman could validly procure a termination for a period that stretches up to 24 weeks (in a majority of States). However, earlier this year, a law was passed in Texas, outlawing procurement in a period that exceeds six weeks. This law also added various regulatory provisions that would essentially make it difficult for a woman to request for termination by herself in a period that she might now even be aware of her pregnancy.
Currently, a national protest is ongoing on social media, and in real time against such law. Activists are of the opinion that such archaic law would only frustrate the rights of women living in Texas.
4. Argentina: Argentina resisted pressure from the Catholic Church, and finally passed into law the first provision on abortion. In the new law, requested termination is lawful as for a period of twelve weeks.
After that, any reason apart from those legally provide for, would attract a certain penalty. There are no much differences between their legal defences and that of other progressive countries. They became the first Latin country to go in this direction.
5. Poland: In Poland, abortion has now been legalized with the time-restriction or twelve weeks or more if within legal defenses
6. Slovakia: In Slovakia, a bill further regulating abortion was almost passed into law by the legislation. This bill, if passed, may not have banned abortion withing lawful periods, but it would have further regulated the processes surrounding such request, and lengthened the wait period.The latter would not only have discouraged several patients into indignation, but also would have dragged on some patients in their first trimesters to a period exceeding the already provided 12 weeks.
7. Thailand: In 2021, the court in Thailand held that the predating laws providing for the illegality of proscribed termination was unconstitutional. In January this year, the legislation went a step further to pass into law, provisions that allow for termination for a period not exceeding 12 weeks.
Where any requested abortion exceeds the prescribed time frame, such person would be penalized in form of a fine. After a series of debates and national discuss, the law was amended to provided for circumstances that would warrant termination after twelve weeks.
8. Canada: Canada stands as the best country for adoption because of the lack of time restriction for elective abortion. There, a pregnant woman can terminate whenever she wants, and without the requirement of valid reasons. It essentially goes to say that doctors can remove pregnancy when such carriage would be at mothers’ risk.