Self-managed abortion with pills has significantly changed the way safe and effective abortions can be obtained. While the practice is on the rise around the world, many countries impose significant legal restrictions on abortion access. These laws regulate various aspects of abortion provision, including: the grounds upon which individuals are permitted to obtain an abortion; who may provide an abortion; the tests that health professionals are required to administer before an abortion may be provided; and where an abortion is legally permitted to take place. In addition, certain countries also impose criminal penalties on individuals who participate in unlawful abortions, including on pregnant people seeking abortion. This dataset displays key features of abortion laws as they relate to self-managed abortion in 180 countries and 40 sub-national jurisdictions including in Australia and Mexico, all in effect as of June 1, 2019.
This dataset was created in collaboration with subject matter expert Patty Skuster, Senior Legal Advisor at Ipas, who conceptualized this project. To contact Patty, please e-mail skusterp@ipas.org.
Disclaimer: The information contained herein does not constitute legal advice. If you have questions regarding your legal rights or obligations, please contact an attorney. Legal text was referenced through the WHO Global Abortion Policies Database. The legal text included in this dataset has been translated to the English language. Note, these translations are unofficial and may contain discrepancies from the original legal text.
If you have any questions regarding the information provided here, please contact LawAtlas@temple.edu.
NOTE: The map and linked data are currently under construction. To access the data during the temporary downtime, please click on the Data button to download the data in Excel format.
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