9 Countries Where Abortion Is Illegal Under Most Circumstances
The abortion debate has intensified in South and Central America as the Zika virus, linked to severe birth defects, spreads throughout the region.
Latin America has the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, according to Jennifer Kates, vice president and director of global health and HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on U.S. and global health issues.
But it's hardly alone. Other global regions with restrictive abortion laws include the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Most nations, about 96 percent, permit abortion to save a woman's life, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center analysis of 196 countries based on 2013 United Nations data. The six countries that outlaw abortions under any circumstances are Chile, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Vatican City and Malta, according to Pew.
If history is any guide, however, countries may see a loosening of restrictions in coming years. Laws governing abortion have become more liberal worldwide in recent decades, Kates and others say.
"Over the last 20 years, over 30 countries have liberalized their abortion laws," says Katherine Mayall, global advocacy adviser for the Center for Women's Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy nonprofit pushing for more reproductive rights worldwide.
[READ: What rubella can teach us about Zika.]
Brazil could be one of those countries. In the South American nation, where nearly 1.5 million people have caught Zika, abortion is illegal except in cases of rape or when a woman's life is in danger. But Brazil's legal scholars plan to ask the country's highest court to allow pregnant women to be permitted to have abortions when their fetuses are found to have abnormally small heads, according to The New York Times.
Below are 9 countries with some of the world's most restrictive abortion laws:
Country | Abortion Policy |
|---|---|
Permitted only in case of rape, to save a woman's life, a few other limited circumstances | |
Illegal without exception | |
Allowed only to save a woman's life | |
Allowed only to save a woman's life and in some cases health | |
Allowed only to save a woman's life | |
Allowed only to save a woman's life or health, requires spouse/parental approval | |
Allowed only in cases of rape, to save a woman's life, fetal impairment, requires spouse approval | |
Illegal without exception | |
Allowed only to save a woman's life, health and in cases of rape |
Devon Haynie is news editor, international for U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dhaynie@usnews.com.