ABORTION LAWS AROUND THE WORLD
Issues relating to women's reproductive rights - and specifically abortion - are front and center for social, religious, health care, and political discussions in the United States. Amongst politicians, health care professionals, and citizens of the U.S., there is no consensus on whether abortion should remain legal or be outlawed. For the time being, however, abortion remains legal in the United States with Federal Law permitting abortion laws to be determined at a state level. Around the world, abortion laws are not the same.
The Center for Reproductive Rights publishes an interactive map every year displaying the abortion laws in every country around the world. This year, The World's Abortion Laws 2017 Map reveals some interesting trends.
As demonstrated by the map, all of North America and almost all of Europe and Central Asia allow abortions without restriction to reason but have rules about gestational limits. This type of abortion is commonly known as elective abortion or abortion on demand. Angelina Baglini, J.D., of The Charlotte Lozier Institute published a report in 2014 that noted of the countries that permit elective abortion, the United States and six other countries allow abortion procedures to occur after 20 weeks, making their abortion regulations extremely lenient in comparison to other global standards. The Orland Women's Center reported that "25% of the world population lives in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws, mostly in Asian, Africa, and Latin America."