Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, protections for abortions have been under scrutiny both in the U.S. and in the rest of the world, and the landscape for protected abortions is increasingly uneven across the globe.
This past weekend, thousands of women took to the streets in Brazil to advocate against a bill that would equate abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy to homicide and establish a sentence of between six and twenty years in prison for women having the procedure.
This sentence is higher than that for rape in Brazil, which currently carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Brazil already imposes harsh abortion laws, which mean that many Brazilian women resort to unsafe illegal abortions. The result is multiple deaths of women every year, as per Reuters.
According to the World Health Organization, six out of ten unintended pregnancies end in induced abortion. Forty five percent of abortions that are carried out are unsafe. Unsafe abortions often lead to maternal deaths and morbidities. Three out of 10 pregnancies end in induced abortion. An estimated 39,000 women die every year from unsafe abortions, the WHO said.
According to data from The Centre for Reproductive Rights, there are 21 countries where abortion is prohibited altogether. There are 111 million women who are of reproductive age living in these countries.
In some of those 21 countries a woman can face jail time for having an abortion. The list includes:
Andorra: Abortion is completely illegal, and women who undergo abortions, as well as those who assist them, can face imprisonment.
Congo: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman's life, and women who undergo abortions can be imprisoned.
Dominican Republic: Abortion is banned in all cases. Women who undergo abortions and those who perform them can face imprisonment.
Egypt: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman's life. Women and those who perform abortions can face imprisonment.
El Salvador: Women can face imprisonment for up to 40 years on charges of aggravated homicide for undergoing abortions or even for miscarriages suspected to be induced.
Honduras: Abortion is prohibited entirely, with no exceptions, and women and providers can be imprisoned.
Laos: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman's life, and women who undergo abortions can face imprisonment.
Madagascar: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman's life, with women and providers facing potential imprisonment.
Maldives: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman's life, and women can face imprisonment.
Malta: Abortion is completely illegal, and women who undergo abortions, as well as healthcare providers, can face significant prison sentences.
Mauritania: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman's life, and women who undergo abortions can be imprisoned.
Nicaragua: Abortion is illegal under all circ*mstances, and women can face prison sentences along with healthcare providers who perform the procedure.
Philippines: Abortion is illegal with no exceptions. Women who undergo abortions and those who assist them can be imprisoned.
Senegal: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman's life, and women who undergo abortions can face prison sentences.
Sierra Leone: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman's life, and women can face imprisonment.
Suriname: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman's life, and women who undergo abortions can be imprisoned.
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The Centre For Reproductive Rights categorizes abortion in five different ways. The first is Category 1, where abortion is available on request. Most countries in the world exist in this bracket. 662 million women of reproductive age, 34 percent of the world's population, live in the 77 countries that grant abortion on request. Generally, these laws have a gestational limit.
A further 457 million women of reproductive age live in the 12 countries which grant abortion based on broad social or economic grounds. Many countries will also grant an abortion on specific grounds such as if the pregnancy has resulted from rape or incest. The third category includes the 47 countries where abortion is permitted when pregnancy poses a threat to the person's health. 226 million women of reproductive age live in countries that have these laws.
A further 44 countries allow an abortion when it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant person. 416 million women of reproductive age live in countries where this is the case.
Abortion is becoming increasingly prohibited in the U.S., where 14 states have a total ban on abortion, with limited exceptions: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
Currently, women do not face jail for having abortions in the U.S., but medical professionals may face prison for administering or helping a woman to have an abortion. In Texas, a person can receive a life sentence for performing or helping with an abortion.
Even in countries where abortion is legal, women have faced prison for having abortions. In 2023, a woman in the U.K. was jailed for over two years after she had an abortion after the legal limit, according to reports from the BBC.
If Brazil's anti-abortion bill passes, the country would have one of the harshest abortion penalties in the world.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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