Abortion: a fragile and contested right in many parts of the world

Protesters in the streets of New York on June 24, 2022 after the US Supreme Court's decision to revoke federal abortion rights.

Getty Images via AFP - SPENCER PLATT

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The right to abortion is no longer guaranteed by the US Constitution and several states have already drawn the laws they had drafted to prohibit abortion.

The United States is part of a global trend where the right to abortion is threatened.

Overview.

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♦ Americas, the law advances in the South

In

, those who campaign for the right to abortion have hope: for several weeks, the decriminalization of abortion has been included in the draft new Constitution which still has to be submitted to a referendum.

This year,

legalized voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) before 24 weeks, regardless of the reason.

In

, abortion

, while in

, the Supreme Court ruled the 2021 abortion ban "

 ". Even before Friday's historic about-face in the United States, a network of Mexican associations offered assistance to women having difficulty financing voluntary termination of pregnancy on American soil.

But in other countries in the region, such as

,

.

Abortion is also not allowed in

or

.

In

, abortion is limited to cases of rape, risk to the mother, and fetal malformation.

But on Friday, Brazilian President Bolsonaro called " 

" the use of abortion for an 11-year-old child, pregnant after being the victim of rape.

In

, since the Supreme Court's decision on Friday, some states have already banned abortion, such as Missouri, Mississippi and Texas.

Other states claim to be havens for people wishing to have an abortion, such as California. 

🇺🇸 Map of states where abortion is likely to be banned or heavily restricted

For more information ➡️https://t.co/0DgfWiwhgM #AFP pic.twitter.com/CPJ0slxX47

— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) June 24, 2022

♦ In Europe, a contested right in Poland

In Europe, only one member state completely prohibits abortion, including medical termination of pregnancy: this is

, recalls our correspondent in Brussels,

.

This week, an American tourist had the painful experience of it.

The smallest state in the European Union refused to perform an abortion as the young woman's life was in danger.

She was eventually able to travel to

. 

In

where it is possible to have an abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, as in

.

Most European countries authorize termination of pregnancy up to 12 weeks: in

, 

,

,

or

.

banned

abortion until 2018, but a referendum made it possible.

The

on Tuesday abolished the five-day reflection period to be respected before carrying out an abortion.

In

, this right is very limited.

Abortion is only possible in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother.

On May 26, 2021 in Dublin, supporters of the legalization of abortion in Ireland celebrated the victory of the “yes” vote in the referendum.

Center for Reproductive Rights - JAMES FORDE

In other countries, regular legislative proposals seek to restrict it: in

or

for example, where since 2015, the costs related to the termination of pregnancy are borne by patients.

♦ In Africa, Benin is legalizing

On the African continent, some countries such as

,

,

or even

completely prohibit abortion, even when it is performed to save the life of the mother.

Most other countries on the continent restrict abortion to specific cases and the application of its laws in these specific cases is sometimes impossible.

But some are changing their legislation, such as in

 , which amended

.

It is possible to abort within 12 weeks, on medical prescription, when the pregnancy is the consequence of rape, but also when it causes a situation of material, professional or moral distress for the woman. 

Tunisia was a pioneer in

 since the country legalized the right to abortion as early as 1973.

legalized abortion in 1997 after apartheid.

Cape

followed, as did 

 in 2014.

►Also listen: The Health Council - Clandestine abortions: what consequences for the health of women in Africa?

♦ In Asia, South Korea and New Zealand are decriminalizing

In

, the Constitutional Court in April 2019 ordered the end of the ban on abortion, deeming it unconstitutional.

In 2021, the law that

.

New

 decriminalized it in March 2020, at the instigation of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

In

, only the state of New South Wales continues to prohibit abortion.

In

, the right to abortion has been legal since the 1970s, particularly under the one-child policy.

In 2021, China recorded nearly 11 million births last year, and nearly 9 million voluntary terminations of pregnancy.

But faced with a fall in the birth rate, some are thinking of

from resorting to abortion. 

In

,

or

, abortion is authorized for socio-economic reasons such as age, marital status, etc.

While no country in the Middle East has made abortion free and legal.

In

,

,

,

,

, and the

, abortion is permitted only to save the woman's life.

►Also listen: International report - In Poland, the ordeal of women one year after the virtual ban on abortion

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