• Powered by
ContextKnow better. Do better.
In Focus
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.

Sign up to our newsletter

Dive into the real-world impacts of policy decisions with our monthly newsletter, 'Policy, honestly'

Featured

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
Money, Power & PeopleRoe v Wade: Which US states are banning abortion?
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
Socioeconomic InclusionWhere will the abortion rights flashpoints be in 2023?

Latest

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.
Socioeconomic InclusionAbortion rights in Europe - legal rollbacks and progress
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
Socioeconomic InclusionWhy are U.S. abortion rights battles focusing on pills?
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
Socioeconomic InclusionJailed for abortion, freed Salvadoran women struggle to rebuild
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
Socioeconomic InclusionU.S. midterms: Can Biden still bank on abortion outrage?
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
Socioeconomic Inclusion'As capable as a son': Indians say no to the abortion of girls
Volunteer Alex Cascio wears pins as she gathers signatures for a proposed abortion amendment
Socioeconomic InclusionFacing abortion barriers, trans men warn of the risks
A person's feet are pictured standing on paving stone with an electronic tag around one ankle
SurveillanceAnkle monitors raise risks for U.S. abortion-seekers
A woman holds a placard during a protest against the verdict restricting abortion rights in Poland
Socioeconomic InclusionPolish activists help Ukrainian refugees end pregnancies amid abortion bans

More In Focus

Computer specialists of the misinformation team take part in the NATO-led cyber war games 'Locked Shields 2023' in Tallinn, Estonia April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
Disinformation: Is democracy under threat?

Updated: August 23, 2023

OpenAI and ChatGPT logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 3, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
AI and jobs: What does it means for workers’ rights?

Updated: August 22, 2023

Silvana Nihua, president of the Waorani Organization of Pastaza (OWAP), travels along the Curaray River where indigenous communities reside in riverside villages in the Amazon province of Pastaza, Ecuador, on April 26, 2022
The Amazon rainforest and climate change

Updated: August 11, 2023

An Afghan woman holds her phone after an election campaign by Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in Kabul June 8, 2014
Afghanistan: Two years of Taliban rule

Updated: August 10, 2023