France Includes Right To Abortion In Its Constitution; Here Is A List Of Countries Where It Is Still Illegal

With an impressive vote ratio by the Parliamentarians of 780-72, France will be making an amendment to its constitution to secure women’s “guaranteed freedom” to voluntarily terminate their unwanted pregnancies. With this, France has become the first nation to explicitly include the right to abortion in its constitution on March 4, 2024.

“We have a moral debt to women,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said as he addressed the 925 lawmakers gathered for the joint session in Versailles and called on them to make France a leader in women's rights and set an example for countries around the world.

“We have a chance to change history, make Simone Veil proud," he added.

List Of Countries Where Abortion Is Illegal

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• In the United States of America, only a half-dozen states allow abortion at any point in pregnancy while abortions after 21 weeks or so are very rare.
• In Russia, abortion is legal as an elective procedure up to the 12th week of pregnancy, and in special circumstances at later stages.
• Since the introduction of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971, abortion has been legal in India under various circumstances. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Regulations, 2003 were issued under the Act to enable women to access safe and legal abortion services.

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• Abortions have been legal in Nepal since March 2002, under the 11th Amendment to the Civil Code. However, the legal services were successfully implemented on December 25, 2003. (Delhi HC On Sex-Determination Based Abortions)

• While abortion is illegal in Sri Lanka, there is an exception when it comes to saving the life of the pregnant mother.
• In parts of China like Jiangxi and Guizhou provinces, non-medically necessary abortions after 14 weeks of pregnancy are restricted in an effort to curb sex-selective abortion, however, throughout most of China, elective abortions are legal even after 14 weeks.
• While no new law has been enacted, abortion has been completely decriminalised in South Korea since 1 January 2021.
• In Iran, abortion is legal only under conditions where the pregnancy or the birth can be a threat to the pregnant mother’s life.

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