The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
women in the world.

Latest items for ABO-LAW-1

Sept. 18, 2023, 2 a.m.
Countries: Bhutan
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-1, LBHO-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3, ABO-LAW-1

"Writing the previous year, Wangdi pointed explicitly to gaps in economic and governmental participation, with far fewer women than men in the civil service workforce and women making up just 8.5 percent of the National Assembly and 24 percent of the National Council. On a personal level, female reproductive rights lag in certain aspects. While women in the public and private sectors receive three months’ maternity leave with 100 percent of their wages, abortion is illegal except in certain specific cases, leading many women to cross into India and seek abortions in unsafe conditions" (para.4).
Sept. 18, 2023, 2 a.m.
Countries: Bhutan
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-1, LBHO-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3, ABO-LAW-1

"Writing the previous year, Wangdi pointed explicitly to gaps in economic and governmental participation, with far fewer women than men in the civil service workforce and women making up just 8.5 percent of the National Assembly and 24 percent of the National Council. On a personal level, female reproductive rights lag in certain aspects. While women in the public and private sectors receive three months’ maternity leave with 100 percent of their wages, abortion is illegal except in certain specific cases, leading many women to cross into India and seek abortions in unsafe conditions" (para.4).
Aug. 15, 2023, 6:17 a.m.
Countries: Cote D'Ivoire
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"The prohibition of abortion except on grounds of a grave threat to the life and health of the pregnant woman (articles 366 and 367 of Law No. 1981-640 of 31 July 1981 on the Criminal Code" (12).
Aug. 8, 2023, 12:20 p.m.
Countries: Senegal
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"The provisions of articles 300 and 305 of the Criminal Code that discriminate against women have been factored into the proposed revision of discriminatory laws." (4)(NF - CODER COMMENT - Act. 300 states that consummation of a marriage between a child and an adult is considered statuatory rape. As for Act. 305, this act prohibits abortion unless a physician states that it is medically necessary).
July 30, 2023, 5:41 a.m.
Countries: Nigeria
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Many of these abortions are unsafe and some result in serious maternal morbidity or death. The main reason for this is that termination is only allowed legally in Nigeria if a woman’s life is in danger. " (Parag. 2) "But abortions have become relatively safer since the emergence and increasing availability of medication abortion, especially misoprostol. Misoprostol was approved in Nigeria in January 2006 for the treatment of postpartum haemorrhage. Evidence suggests that Nigerian women are beginning to access and use it safely to induce their own abortions." (Parag. 3)
July 30, 2023, 5:25 a.m.
Countries: Saudi Arabia
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Saudi Arabia’s abortion laws are more liberal than those of some U.S. states, allowing for pregnancy termination when the mother’s mental or physical health is threatened." (Parag. 13)
July 12, 2023, 11:06 p.m.
Countries: Nigeria
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Many of these abortions are unsafe and some result in serious maternal morbidity or death. The main reason for this is that termination is only allowed legally in Nigeria if a woman’s life is in danger. " (Parag. 2) "But abortions have become relatively safer since the emergence and increasing availability of medication abortion, especially misoprostol. Misoprostol was approved in Nigeria in January 2006 for the treatment of postpartum haemorrhage. Evidence suggests that Nigerian women are beginning to access and use it safely to induce their own abortions." (Parag. 3)
July 12, 2023, 10:28 p.m.
Countries: Saudi Arabia
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Saudi Arabia’s abortion laws are more liberal than those of some U.S. states, allowing for pregnancy termination when the mother’s mental or physical health is threatened." (Parag. 13)
July 10, 2023, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Maldives
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Permission for medical termination of pregnancy within 120 days of conception for pregnancies resulting from rape by someone marriage to whom is prohibited in Islamic Shari’ah and pregnancies resulting from rape of a child who is physically and mentally not fit to get pregnant and deliver were given by the ‘Islamic Fiqh Academy’ on 11th December 2013." (25-26).
June 19, 2023, 1:46 p.m.
Countries: Iran
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-2, ABO-LAW-1

"In late 2021, a new law was passed severely restricting access to abortion, contraception and voluntary sterilization services—'in direct violation of women's human rights under international law,' as U.N. human rights experts warned." (para.11).
June 18, 2023, 9:21 a.m.
Countries: Malta
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"[I]n Malta, ... abortion is illegal" (Para.3). "Malta is the only country in the EU where abortion is illegal for any reason, including rape and incest (even in Poland, where restrictions on abortion have been dramatically tightened, a woman who has been raped is still, in theory, entitled to an abortion). If a fetus is found to be unviable, or the baby likely to die at birth or soon afterwards, the pregnancy must continue. If the health of the mother is threatened – as in the case of an ectopic pregnancy – doctors will act, if at all, only when it may already be too late." (Para.11).
June 14, 2023, 7:56 p.m.
Countries: Bolivia
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Pursuant to article 266 of the Consolidated Text of the Bolivian Criminal Code, under the nomen juris permissible abortion, no penalty shall apply when an abortion has been the result of an offence of rape, abduction not followed by marriage, statutory rape or incest. There is also no punishment if the abortion was carried out for the purpose of preventing a danger to the life or health of the mother and if such danger could not be avoided by other means. In both cases, the abortion must be performed by a doctor, with the consent of the woman... [T]aking into account the fact that the constitutional judgment extends the grounds...more
June 12, 2023, 7:42 p.m.
Countries: Morocco
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Abortion is illegal in Morocco and is punishable by up to five years in prison, except in cases when the woman's health is in danger" (Para.3). "An official commission recommended that the termination of pregnancies be legalised in special circumstances, but no reforms followed, despite lobbying by women's rights activists" (Para.10).
May 12, 2023, 11:14 a.m.
Countries: Indonesia
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Abortion would remain illegal except in cases of rape, according to the latest draft seen by Reuters, which was dated 24 November." (Para.8).
May 12, 2023, 11:05 a.m.
Countries: United States
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Helping a minor cross state lines to terminate a pregnancy without her parents' consent would become a crime punishable by up to five years in prison under a bill passed Thursday by Idaho's Republican-dominated legislature" (para.1). "The bill would also allow a man who impregnates a woman - including rapists - as well as other family members to sue abortion providers" (para.2) "Under the bill, adults who help girls obtain surgical or medication abortions without parental consent would face a minimum of two years in prison if convicted" (para.8). "The bill also sets up a mechanism by which family members of the fetus can sue providers for up to $20,000...more
May 12, 2023, 2:25 a.m.
Countries: Japan
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Women in Japan could be forced to seek their partner’s consent before being prescribed the abortion pill, which will reportedly be approved late this year – three decades after it was made available to women in the UK" (Para.1). "Under Japan’s 1948 Maternal Protection Law, consent is already required for surgical abortions – with very few exceptions – a policy that campaigners say tramples over women’s reproductive rights. 'In principle we believe that spousal consent is necessary, even if an abortion is induced by an oral medication,' Yasuhiro Hashimoto, a senior health ministry official, told a parliamentary committee earlier this month, according to Bloomberg" (Para.2-3). "Campaigners are calling on health...more
May 11, 2023, 10:35 p.m.
Countries: Spain
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Currently, entire areas of the country are no-abortion zones because of opt-out policies under which doctors can refuse to practice abortions on ethical grounds" (Para. 9). "...The country's parliament recently made it a criminal offence to harass or intimidate women with the object of impeding their right to abortion in response to frequent protests outside abortion clinics" (Para. 10).
April 19, 2023, 4:16 p.m.
Countries: El Salvador
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Human rights activists in Latin America hope that a historic court hearing over the case of a Salvadoran woman who was denied an abortion despite her high-risk pregnancy could open the way for El Salvador to decriminalize abortions – and set an important precedent across the region. The inter-American court of human rights (IACHR) this week considered the historic case of the woman, known as Beatriz, who was prohibited from having an abortion in 2013, even though she was seriously ill and the foetus she was carrying would not have survived outside the uterus. The audience marked the first time that the IACHR has discussed the consequences of the country’s...more
April 1, 2023, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Uzbekistan
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

A significant contribution to the development of gender legislation adopted in Uzbekistan was made in 2019 by, inter alia:...the Reproductive Health Act of 11 March 2019...(4)(NF - CODER COMMENT - The Reproductive Act covers many different facets including abortion, pregnancy, labor, and postpartum, STDs/STIs, and diseases affecting the reproductive organs). "The Reproductive Health Act of 11 March 2019 protects the reproductive rights not only of women, but also of men and minors, and proclaims equal rights and opportunities for women and men in the exercise of their reproductive rights and the right to make independent decisions regarding the birth of their children using safe and effective technologies." (8). "A medical...more
March 31, 2023, 2:31 p.m.
Countries: Egypt
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"[A]bortion in cases of rape, incest, risk to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman and severe fetal impairment [are not legalized]… [M]edically safe modern methods of abortion are [not] available and accessible" (12).
March 3, 2023, 11:15 p.m.
Countries: Nigeria
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"The stark inequalities have serious implications. The country’s abortion laws are among the most restrictive globally, as I have reported…" (Para. 8).
Feb. 27, 2023, 1:02 p.m.
Countries: South Korea
Variables: IIP-PRACTICE-2, SEGI-PRACTICE-1, ABO-LAW-1

"But women haven’t passively accepted the toxic masculinity. They’ve organized raucously, from Asia’s most successful #MeToo movement to groups like '4B,' which translates to the 'Four nos: no dating, no sex, no marriage and no child-rearing.' The country’s feminist movements have won the decriminalization of abortion and harsher penalties for an epidemic of spycam-porn crimes." (para 13).
Feb. 27, 2023, 9:43 a.m.
Countries: Brazil
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"The three-week-old government has already turned its back on the Bolsonaro era with regards to Brazil’s position on Israel, migration and reproductive rights, notably withdrawing from a coalition of ultra-conservative, anti-abortion nations known as the Geneva Consensus." (para 12).
Feb. 24, 2023, 12:54 p.m.
Countries: Nepal
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"Safe motherhood program has been a national priority program in Nepal since the formulation of National Safe Motherhood policy in 1998. The National Safe Motherhood Plan (2002-2017), revised in 2005, formed a basis for the current Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Long Term Plan (2006-2017), the implementation of which is bringing positive impacts on infrastructure development and delivery of maternal health services at rural level. The maternal and reproductive health of women has been improved by implementing the guidelines regarding uterine prolapse, safe abortion, safe motherhood, and management of human resources for safe delivery. The GoN has been launching awareness raising campaign on safe abortion practices particularly targeting the adolescent...more
Feb. 18, 2023, 10:52 a.m.
Countries: Poland
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"The long battle over Poland’s 29-year-old ban on abortion has intensified over the past 17 months after the elimination of the last significant exception permitting the procedure: fetal abnormalities" (Para.8). "Today, Poland and Malta, both staunchly Catholic, are the only European Union countries where abortions are effectively outlawed" (Para.11). "Technically, the law still allows abortions if there is a serious risk to a woman’s health and life. But critics say it fails to provide necessary clarity, paralyzing doctors" (Para.13). " 'This law creates problems for doctors and patients,' Jan Kochanowicz, a doctor who is also the director of the University Clinical Hospital in Bialystok, the largest city in northeastern Poland,...more
Feb. 18, 2023, 10:31 a.m.
Countries: Philippines
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"The Philippines has one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world; while the government has acknowledged that the law may allow abortion to protect the life and health of pregnant women, in practice such exceptions are not made. Women have little choice but to resort to whatever underground treatment they can access and afford, regardless of risk" (Para.5) "The incoming president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos has backed abortion in cases of incest and rape, describingit as “a woman’s decision, because it is her body.” Advocates treat the comments with caution. They are well aware of the opposition any legal change would face from the Catholic church" (Para.28).more
Feb. 18, 2023, 9:55 a.m.
Countries: Japan
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn a 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, there is a global spotlight on reproductive care — including in Japan, which has some of the tightest restrictions on abortion among wealthy nations" (Para.4). "Japan is one of 11 countries — and the only one of the Group of Seven largest economies — that mandate women to get their spouse’s consent to obtain an abortion, with very few exceptions, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, an international organization. In practice, advocates say, the requirement often applies to unmarried women, too, and has led to rare and tragic instances of women leaving their babies...more
Feb. 5, 2023, 9:19 p.m.
Countries: Turkey
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"For the past half-decade, Erdoğan and his conservative AK Party have ruled Turkey by decree in coalition with far-right parties, and his rule has been marked by a gradual shift toward more restrictive, natalist policies. Officially, abortion is legal in Turkey through the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. But for most Turkish women, the practice might as well already be illegal." (para 2). "Several women told me about their abortion experiences in Turkey’s health care system. (I’ve changed their names to protect their identities.) Elif, a school therapist, discovered her pregnancy in 2015 when the embryo was 4 weeks old. She phoned 10 clinics, and three said they performed abortions...She...more
Feb. 4, 2023, 6:14 p.m.
Countries: Namibia
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"As in our previous reports, Namibia’s Abortion and Sterilisation Act, Act No.2 of 1975 makes it a crime for a woman to seek an abortion, or to terminate her own pregnancy, except in very narrow circumstances." (19).
Feb. 4, 2023, 8:40 a.m.
Countries: Iraq
Variables: ABO-LAW-1

"[U]nder articles 417 to 419 of the Penal Code, abortion is permissible only in cases in which there is a risk to the life of the pregnant woman" (11).