In Europe, the right to abortion is usually liberal, in the USA it is decided by individual states

On March 4, France decided to include the right to abortion in its constitution, becoming the first country to introduce such a provision into its constitution. Elsewhere in Europe, regulations are varied, mostly liberal. In the USA, from 2022, individual states will decide on the permissibility of abortion.

It was the case of America, where the guarantee of the right to abortion at the federal level was withdrawn, that led in France to the need to consolidate such a right at the highest possible level, i.e. in the constitution.

In Italy, abortion is legal and its rules are regulated by a law from 1978. Under it, a woman may request an abortion up to the 90th day of pregnancy for health, economic, social or family reasons. The Act describes in turn all the required procedures in the event of a request for termination of pregnancy. It opens with a visit to a doctor, for example a family doctor or a family clinic, in order to analyze other possible solutions and present offers of help. Then, after receiving the appropriate certificate, if the situation does not require urgent action and 90 days have not passed, the woman has seven days to reflect. Abortion can be performed in both public and private health care facilities. According to data from the 2022 report of the Ministry of Health, Italy has one of the lowest abortion rates in the world: 5.4 procedures per thousand women aged 15 to 49. In recent years, over 40,000 transactions have been carried out in Italy each year. up to approximately 60 thousand abortions per year.

In Spain, since February 2023, regulations have been in force allowing for voluntary termination of pregnancy up to the 14th week, and up to the 22nd week in pathological cases – when the pregnancy is the result of rape or threatens the life of the mother or fetus. Threat to life is not only defined as “physical”, but also as “mental”. Women over 16 years of age do not need their parents’ permission to perform the procedure. Termination of pregnancy is performed in certain public facilities and private clinics. According to data from the Ministry of Health, in 2022 the number of abortions performed among women aged 15-44 was 11.68 per 1,000 women. In 2023, the obligation of three days of reflection for a woman before having an abortion and providing her with information on motherhood was abolished, although this is possible at the woman’s request.

In Germany, abortion is allowed in many cases. This happens when the pregnancy was terminated in the first 12 weeks and the woman sought official advice. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of abortions in Germany increased by 9.9% in 2022. compared to the previous year and amounted to approximately 104,000 reported cases. 96 percent abortions reported in 2022 were performed within the counseling system. Medical indications and sexual offenses were the reason for abortion in 4%. cases. In June 2022, the Bundestag voted with an overwhelming majority in favor of lifting the ban on advertising abortion. Previously, the Penal Code prohibited doctors from publicly disclosing information about abortion and threatened them with criminal liability if, for example, they provided information about it on their website.

In England, Scotland and Wales, abortion is de facto permitted without restriction up to the 24th week of pregnancy under the 1967 Act, which came into force in April 1968. De facto – because it is formally prohibited except in situations where: there is a threat to the woman’s life; there is a possibility that the child will be born with mental or physical defects; is intended to prevent serious, permanent damage to the physical or mental health of a pregnant woman; there is a risk of harm to the physical or mental health of the woman or any children in her family she already has. The latter, however, is interpreted so broadly that in practice it means abortion on request up to the 24th week and, as statistics indicate, 98 percent. abortions are performed for this reason. In Northern Ireland, until 2020, abortion was allowed only to save the mother’s life. According to the changes that came into force in 2020, it is permissible in the same situations as in England, Scotland and Wales, and additionally without giving a reason until the 12th week of pregnancy. Across the UK, the number of abortions performed has exceeded 200,000 every year since 2002. annually and there is an upward trend. In 2021, the latest year for which statistics are available, 214,256 abortions were performed in England and Wales, the highest number since the 1967 Act was passed.

Since 1986, abortion on demand has been legal in Slovakia and the Czech Republic until the 12th week of pregnancy. In the event of a threat to the woman’s life and health or fetal defects – up to 24 months or, in special cases, even later. In both countries, parental consent is required for the procedure on girls under 16 years of age. Abortion for medical reasons is performed under social insurance, and the procedure on request costs the equivalent of one thousand zlotys or more. In Slovakia, at least 48 hours must elapse between submitting an application for an abortion on demand and its completion, during which the woman is informed about the procedure and its risks. In both countries, the number of abortions has been decreasing over the last decade. In 2022, 5.9 thousand tests were performed in Slovakia. treatments, and in the Czech Republic 16.4 thousand

In Ukraine, abortion on demand is legal in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Between weeks 12 and 28, abortion is permitted for medical, social or personal reasons and is carried out with the consent of the medical commission. According to the Opendatabot analytical center, in the period from 2011 to 2020, the number of abortions in the country decreased almost threefold: from 163,668 (in 2011) to 64,574 (in 2020). In total, between 2011 and 2021, a total of 1,096,415 terminations of pregnancy were registered. Of these, 1,048,974 were performed in public healthcare facilities and 47,441 in private facilities.

In the United States, the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling (“Roe vs. Wade”) guaranteed constitutional rights to abortion. It was in force from 1973 until 2022, when the Supreme Court repealed it. From now on, individual states decide on the permissibility of abortion, and as of 2022, 21 states have banned abortion or shortened the period during which it is permissible. The most restrictive are: Texas, Idaho and North Dakota, enforcing an almost complete ban on abortion, with exceptions generally for rape, incest or a threat to the mother’s life. The latest statistics on the number of abortions across the country come from 2020. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 14.4 abortions were performed per 1,000 women aged 15-44 at that time and this was a downward trend. (PAP)

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