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Protesters hold a banner reading 'abortion is a basic right' during a rally in support of abortion rights following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, in Paris, France, July 2, 2022

Abortion restrictions around the world

Updated: March 17, 2023

In the past year, from the United States to Poland, obstacles have been placed on abortion access as conservative lawmakers tighten restrictions on terminations.

Reproductive rights campaigners say legislation that bans or severely restricts abortion does not stop women getting terminations, instead forcing some to get backstreet abortions that can be unsafe and sometimes deadly.

In a debate marked by deep ideological and religious divides, some US economists are now urging policymakers to consider the financial cost of curbing women's abortion rights.

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Protesters gather inside the South Carolina House as members debate a new near-total ban on abortion with no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest at the state legislature in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. August 30, 2022. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe
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Protesters hold a banner reading 'abortion is a basic right' during a rally in support of abortion rights following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, in Paris, France, July 2, 2022
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Protesters hold banners during Abortion Rights Solidarity demonstration, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion, outside the U.S. embassy in London, Britain July 9, 2022.
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Misoprostol pills, the second medication used in a medical abortion, are put in envelopes for patients at Alamo Women's Clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S., January 10, 2023
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A doctor hands a patient the initial abortion inducing medication at Trust Women clinic in Oklahoma City, U.S., December 6, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Money, Power & PeopleMobile abortion clinics open up as US states cut access
Abortion rights activists participate in a 2022 Women's March with the theme “We Demand Our Rights” in anticipation of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. October 8, 2022. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
Money, Power & PeopleWhat's next for abortion rights after U.S. midterms?
Women participate in a protest to mark the International Safe Abortion Day in San Salvador, El Salvador September 28, 2020
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Abortion rights activists carry signs during a 2022 Women's March with the theme “We Demand Our Rights” in anticipation of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. October 8, 2022
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A woman checks her mobile phone inside the premises of the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India, September 28, 2018
Money, Power & PeopleIndian women gain abortion rights but cost and stigma limit access
Abortion rights demonstrator tapes her mouth outside the United States Supreme Court as the court rules in the Dobbs v Women's Health Organization abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision in Washington, U.S., June 24, 2022
Socioeconomic InclusionWhy Black women bear brunt of strict U.S. abortion laws
A woman, who suffered two miscarriages over the last year in an attempt to have a son, squats beside a red bucket washing clothes in her village home in Hisar, India, July 31, 2022. Thomson Reuters Foundation/Annie Banerji
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Volunteer Alex Cascio wears pins as she gathers signatures for a proposed abortion amendment
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A person's feet are pictured standing on paving stone with an electronic tag around one ankle
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A woman holds a placard during a protest against the verdict restricting abortion rights in Poland
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