Anti-abortion by country
Anti-abortion refers to opposition to legalized abortion. Around the world, individuals, organizations and states have engaged in activities to oppose, discourage or restrict the practice of abortion. This includes legislation, popular movements, protests, media, social stigma and other means that oppose legalized abortion. It may be related to religious teachings or particular ideologies that oppose abortion for reasons related to their beliefs or goals.
Africa[edit]
Democratic Republic of the Congo[edit]
Abortion is illegal in DR Congo and heavily stigmatized within the local culture. Congolese society sees women who have abortions as repudiating traditional female roles of becoming mothers and women in the Congo who have abortions frequently do so in secret. Social consequences for having abortions can include social exclusion, rejection by family or inability to find a spouse.[1][2] Congo signed the international Maputo protocol in 2018 that theoretically allowed for increased abortion access, however, the Congolese government did not change the penal code forbidding abortion or invest in resources to make abortion accessible.[3]
Ethiopia[edit]
Abortion is restricted in Ethiopia with exceptions allowed for certain cases, such as rape or incest. Even in cases where the law allows an abortion to take place, those working in the police and judicial system may interpret that legally-obtained abortions should be prosecuted.[4] Healthcare providers who can perform abortions may also add extra requirements to women who come to request abortion services, such as requiring the woman to be unmarried or for teens to bring in their parents.[5]
Nigeria[edit]
Abortion is illegal in Nigeria unless in cases to save the life of the mother.[6][7][8][9]
In 2007, the African Anti-Abortion Coalition (AAAC) held a meeting in Lagos with U.S. Congressman Christopher Smith where they penned a letter to the G8 and all African heads of state. They also called for February 14 to be a day of marches against abortion in Africa every year.[10]
Asia[edit]
Bangladesh[edit]
Abortion is illegal in Bangladesh.[11]
China[edit]
In 2021, the State Council of the PRC issued a document entitled "Guidance on Women’s Development 2021–2030" in which it outlined a policy direction to further restrict abortion in China, particularly with eliminating non-medically necessary abortions, as part of a broader policy goal to increase birth rates in China. This stood in contrast to decades of population control measures and the one child policy, which encouraged abortions previously. This policy change was due to falling birth rates, which were clearly documented in the 2020 Chinese census, and concern over the possible development of a demographic crisis.[12]
In an English language editorial in China Daily, Mu Guangzong wrote about the government's new three-child policy and said: "To help increase the fertility rate, therefore, access to abortion should be largely restricted, and care services improved. "[13]
Huang Hefeng, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Science, said in relation to the demographic problem and the lowering birth rates, that abortions may cause harm to women's fertility by damaging their reproductive systems.[14]
India[edit]
The pro-life/pro-choice binary is of limited popular agreement in India, despite the religious moorings of the debate and the popularity of various religions in India.[15] The Pre-Natal Pre-Conception Diagnostic Technologies act prohibits the use of sex-selection and determination technology, and is silent on abortions themselves. This act is a regulatory framework for sex determination while respecting the woman's right to choose to carry the pregnancy to term.[15]
The Indian Medical Association and the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India opposed a government proposal in 2014 to reduce the qualifications needed for doctors to carry out abortions in order to make the practice more accessible out of concern that it was leading to medical malpractice and that it would result in female feticide.[16]
Indonesia[edit]
Abortion in Indonesia is restricted legally and to some degree socially stigmatized.[17] Despite this, abortion remains common in Indonesia, with some estimates of around two million induced abortions annually, where 14-16% of all maternal deaths being caused in Southeast Asia by unsafe abortions.[17]
While abortion is officially legal in cases of rape in Indonesia, a number of social barriers exist that make it impossible for this right to be effectively accessed within the legal timeframe (six weeks) that it is technically permitted. According to Kate Walton, a Jakarta-based 'women's rights' professional: "Health professionals who are against abortion will often discourage women and girls from terminating pregnancies, even when permitted to do so by law. Many do not consider the woman’s health as the paramount issues, but instead see abortion as a sin and something to be avoided at all costs."[18]
Iran[edit]
Abortion is illegal in Iran with some exceptions. Iran's legal system is based on an interpretation of Islamic Sharia law which holds abortion as generally forbidden. This interpretation holds that 'ensoulment' occurs at around the fourth month of pregnancy, after which abortion is taking a human life, however, it is a moral necessity prior to ensoulment if the pregnancy threatens the mother's life.[19] Recently, Iran's government has confronted a demographic crisis of an ageing population by attempting to discourage and further restrict abortion alongside other contraception, including the possibility of using the death penalty for people who carry out many abortions.[20][21]
Japan[edit]
Abortion in Japan is allowed under a term limit of 22 weeks for endangerment to the health of the pregnant woman, economic hardship or rape Social attitudes in Japan resist calls to change these restrictions and allow for the procedure to become more liberalized.[22][23] Recently, abortion pills were legalized in Japan after previously being banned, but they still require a male's consent to be used.[24]
Pakistan[edit]
Abortion is stigmatized in Pakistan society and illegal in the law, except in special circumstances. The opposition to abortion is related to the Islamic beliefs of the majority of Pakistanis. Pakistan revised its legal code regarding abortion in 1990 to make it accord with Islamic teaching, which holds ensoulment as occurring after conception. Based on this, harsher penalties were applied to abortions that occurred after the fourth month of pregnancy, while lighter penalties were applied to those that occurred before this point.[25][26][27]
Philippines[edit]
Abortion is illegal and punishable with imprisonment in the Philippines. However, illegal abortions frequently occur in the country.[28] The majority of Filipinos are Catholic and the Catholic Church in the Philippines teaches that abortion is murder.
When the 2022 US Supreme Court decision that lifted constitutional protections for abortion occurred, church leaders and anti-abortion groups in the Philippines celebrated the decision. Crispin Varquez, Bishop of Borongan, said in a radio interview that the decision, which was announced on the Catholic feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was 'enlightened by the Holy Spirit'.[29]
Turkey[edit]
Abortion is legal in Turkey, however, it is hard to access in practice.[30] Since 2012, the government of Tayyip Erdogan, has spoken against abortion and followed policies to make it less accessible. In 2012, Prime Minister Erdogan said: "I see abortion as murder. Nobody should have the right to allow it. There’s no difference between killing a child in its mother’s womb and killing a child after it’s born".[31] Erdogan's government has also opposed abortion because of a wish to increase Turkey's population .[32]
Vietnam[edit]
Many in Vietnam are still divided on how sex and sexuality should be regulated.[33] In 2018, two male campaigners, Le Huynh Ha and Le Hoang Thach, launched an anti-abortion campaign called "Mama! Don't kill me!".[34] The campaign was criticised as "sexist attempts to force women into molds of men’s own making, holding them up to rigid ideals of a chaste woman they may not have the desire to live up to."[33]
Some groups have gone to abortion clinics and collected fetal remains for burial.[35][36][37]
Europe[edit]
France[edit]
Abortion is legal in France in the first trimester, but opposed by some parts of French society. A Catholic bishop in France has voiced opposition to efforts at expanding abortion on grounds that abortion violates human life.[38]
Anti-abortion websites in France have reportedly spread misinformation and engaged in 'digital guerrilla tactics' aimed at manipulating young people, which has led the French government to sanction.[39][40]
Germany[edit]
Abortion is illegal in Germany, but it is not punished if it occurs within the first 12 weeks and counselling takes place. Attempts to change these laws to liberalize abortion have been met with resistance within German politics.[41]
Anti-abortion groups in Germany engage in demonstrations, protests and send hate mail.[42] However, the demonstrations of these groups are smaller than in other countries, which has led some to conclude that their viewpoints are a small minority in Germany.[43] German Catholic youth tend to support legalized abortion.[44]
Russia[edit]
Vladimir Putin has refrained from directly engaging in the abortion debate in Russia, although some of his allies (including Patriarch Kirill) are staunch opponents. His ombudsman for children's rights in Russia, Anna Kuznetsova, stated that wombs 'remember the death of aborted fetuses'.[45] An anti-abortion alliance called 'For Life' collected over a million signatures to petition the duma to outlaw abortion in 2017.[46]
A 2022 survey found that while anti-abortion opinions had increased in Russia over the past 7 years, the majority of Russians are against regulations for the procedure.[47]
North America[edit]
United States[edit]
A large anti-abortion movement has existed in the United States since abortion's legalization in 1973, largely centered around a 'pro-life movement' that holds the belief that the fetus is a human life and must be protected from harm. Many politicians in the United States identify themselves as 'pro-life' and promise to support legislation that restricts abortion. Prominent 'pro-life' politicians in the United States have even included some U.S. Presidents including Donald Trump, George W Bush, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan.[48] The Republican Party of the United States often has anti-abortion as part of its policy platforms.[49] Many churches in the United States openly preach against abortion as a moral evil. 'Pro-life' protestors carry out protest activities such as the annual 'March for Life' in Washington DC as well as smaller protest actions outside of abortion clinics.
Some instances of violence and terrorism have been linked to the 'pro-life movement' in the United States, including the killing of physicians who provided abortions or threats against clinics.[50]
A number of state governments banned abortion in their jurisdictions after the Supreme Court overturned its decision in Roe v. Wade, which previously guaranteed legalized protection for many abortions across the United States.[51]
In Puerto Rico, a pending bill would ban abortions at 22 weeks, or when a doctor determines the fetus is viable.[52]
Latin America[edit]
Brazil[edit]
In 2018, representatives of the Episcopal Conference of Brazil spoke in front of the Supreme Court of Brazil arguing against decriminalization of abortion.[53] The court decriminalized abortion in the first trimester later that year and was met with backlash, including from the President of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies, who criticized the decision.[54]
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, who came to office in 2018, is a staunch opponent of access to abortion. Clandestine abortions, which occur in large numbers in Brazil, have become harder to access since his coming to power. Legal clinics that perform abortions have also halved in numbers.[55]
In 2020, a 10-year-old girl had been raped and was trying to get an abortion, but was unable to get the procedure at the hospital because they refused to do the procedure, even though it was legal. She flew across the country to Recife, but anti-abortion activists linked with Bolsonaro's political movement heard the news and occupied the entrance of the hospital to stop her from getting in. The girl was then hid in the trunk of a car and brought into the hospital through a side entrance.[56]
Mexico[edit]
The Archdiocese of Mexico City, the largest in Mexico, published a voters' guide for the election that encouraged people to put the sanctity of life as the top priority.[57]
Abortion has become more liberalized in Mexico in recently years, with more Mexican states legalizing the procedure in the first trimester.[58][59]
References[edit]
- ↑ Casey, Sara E; Steven, Victoria J; Deitch, Julianne; Dumas, Erin Files; Gallagher, Meghan C; Martinez, Stephanie; Morris, Catherine N; Rafanoharana, Raoza Vololona; Wheeler, Erin (1 January 2019). "'You must first save her life': community perceptions towards induced abortion and post-abortion care in North and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo". Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. 27 (1): 106–117. doi:10.1080/09688080.2019.1571309. PMC 7887765 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 31533559. - ↑ DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO – Study shows understanding of need for abortion despite stigma, International Campaign for Women's right to safe abortion, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ Abortion an 'obstacle race' for women in Democratic Republic of Congo
- ↑ Blystad, Astrid; Haukanes, Haldis; Tadele, Getnet; Haaland, Marte E. S.; Sambaiga, Richard; Zulu, Joseph Mumba; Moland, Karen Marie (December 2019). "The access paradox: abortion law, policy and practice in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia". International Journal for Equity in Health. 18 (1): 126. doi:10.1186/s12939-019-1024-0. PMC 6764131 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 31558147. - ↑ MSI United States (31 January 2020). "Abortion without stigma: Empowering Ethiopian teens". Her Future.[self-published source?]
- ↑ Akande, Oluwatosin Wuraola; Adenuga, Adedire Timilehin; Ejidike, Ifunanya Carista; Olufosoye, Anuoluwapo Adenike (1 January 2020). "Unsafe abortion practices and the law in Nigeria: time for change". Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. 28 (1): 1758445. doi:10.1080/26410397.2020.1758445. PMC 7888045 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 32458762 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ "Anti-abortion and the sexual hypocrisy of Nigerian music on pregnancy". Listen Africa. June 20, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ↑ https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/2/9/nigeria-illegal-backstreet-abortion-clinics, Inside Nigeria’s illegal backstreet abortion clinics, Al Jazeera, retrieved February 27th 2022
- ↑ https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/beauty-health/the-cost-of-morality-how-nigerias-own-anti-abortion-stance-is-killing-women-at-an/zvdw1f7, The cost of morality: How Nigeria’s own anti-abortion stance is killing women at an alarming rate, Pulse, NTIANU OBIORA, retrieved February 27th 2022
- ↑ http://www.chidicon.com/files/AAACtoSenators.pdf, AFRICAN ANTI-ABORTION COALITION, Action Plan on Letter to G8 Leaders, retrieved February 27th 2022
- ↑ https://www.thedailystar.net/law-our-rights/news/abortion-offence-or-right-1906414, Abortion – offence or a right?, Daily Star, retrieved March 1st 2022
- ↑ https://www.voanews.com/a/china-restricts-abortions-to-counter-shrinking-population/6262326.html, Voice of America: China Restricts Abortions to Counter Shrinking Population, retrieved January 30th 2022
- ↑ https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202108/09/WS6110631ca310efa1bd66772a.html China Daily, Mu Guangzong, The importance of three-child policy, retrieved January 31st 2022
- ↑ https://sh.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202008/07/WS5f2d1ecea310a859d09dcb3e.html, China Daily 生育力下降已成为世界范围内健康问题 第四届东方妇产科论坛举行，共话中国女性健康, retrieved January 31st 2022
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 https://feminisminindia.com/2016/04/11/abortion-rights-india/, Abortion Rights In India And The Absence Of The Pro-Life/Pro-Choice Debate, Feminism in India, Srishti Agnihotri , retrieved February 13th 2022
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/03/opinion/indias-inverted-abortion-politics.html, India’s Inverted Abortion Politics, Manil Suri, NY Times Opinion, retrieved February 13th 2022
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/ib_abortion_indonesia_0.pdf, Abortion in Indonesia, Guttmacher institute, 2008, retrieved February 17th 2022
- ↑ https://thediplomat.com/2018/08/compounding-trauma-indonesias-abortion-law/, Compounding Trauma: Indonesia’s Abortion Law, Aisyah Llewellyn, retrieved February 17th 2022
- ↑ https://www.iranchamber.com/society/articles/abortion_iranian_law.php, Iran Chamber Society: Abortion in Iranian Law, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://iranhumanrights.org/2021/11/un-experts-call-on-iran-to-repeal-crippling-new-anti-abortion-law/, Center for human rights in Iran: UN Experts Call on Iran to Repeal “Crippling” New Anti-Abortion Law, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/16/un-experts-call-on-iran-to-repeal-anti-abortion-population-law, Al Jazeera: UN experts call on Iran to repeal ‘anti-abortion’ population law, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/27/japan-urged-to-abolish-third-party-consent-from-abortion-law, The Guardian, Japan urged to abolish third-party consent from abortion law, retrieved July 31st 2022
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/14/japan-abortion-pill-women-reproductive-rights/, In Japan, abortion is legal — but most women need their husband’s consent, Washington Post, retrieved July 31st 2022
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/31/japan-to-approve-abortion-pill-but-partners-consent-will-be-required, The Guardian, Japan to approve abortion pill – but partner’s consent will be required, retrieved July 31st 2022
- ↑ https://www.guttmacher.org/report/abortion-pakistan, Abortion in Pakistan, Guttmacher institute, retrieved February 22nd 2022
- ↑ https://joshandmakinternational.com/abortion-law-in-pakistan/, Abortion Law in Pakistan, Josh and Mark international, retrieved February 22nd 2022
- ↑ https://mashion.pk/2020/10/10/abortion-rights-in-pakistan-and-around-the-world/, Abortion Rights In Pakistan And Around The World, Shahar Haj, Mashion, retrieved February 22nd 2022
- ↑ https://safe2choose.org/abortion-information/countries/philippines, Abortion in Philippines, safe2choose, retrieved August 4th 2022
- ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/18/asia/philippines-abortion-ban-debate-women-rights-roe-wade-intl-hnk-dst/index.html, Abortion's illegal in the Catholic majority Philippines, so more than a million women a year turn to other options, CNN, retrieved August 4th 2022
- ↑ https://www.duvarenglish.com/women/2020/08/16/abortion-practically-banned-in-turkey, Turkey: What's Behind the AKP's New Anti-Abortion Agenda?, Yigal Schleifer, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://medfeminiswiya.net/2021/09/27/abortion-in-turkey-legally-allowed-but-de-facto-banned/?lang=en, Abortion in Turkey: Legally allowed but de facto banned, medfeminiswiya, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-turkey-abortion-idUKBRE85207320120603, Reuters, Thousands protest at Turkey anti-abortion law plan, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Mama Don't Kill Me: Sexism and budding gender consciousness in Vietnam". NOVAsia. 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ↑ https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/anti-abortion-campaign-slammed-as-sexist-moralist-in-vietnam-3853192.html, Anti-abortion campaign slammed as sexist, moralist in Vietnam, VN Express, retrieved August 4th 2022
- ↑ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/vietnam-abortion-stance/, Globe, Liberal laws and fetus cemeteries: Vietnam’s conflicted abortion stance, retrieved August 4th 2022
- ↑ https://international.la-croix.com/news/religion/catholics-in-vietnam-help-women-fight-abortion-bury-unborn-babies/16123, Catholics in Vietnam help women fight abortion, bury unborn babies, La Croix, retrieved August 4th 2022
- ↑ https://vision.org.au/radio-show/20twenty/pro-life-vietnam/, A New Pro-life Movement in Vietnam is Saving Lives, Vision, retrieved August 4th 2022
- ↑ https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/08/21/catholic-bishop-the-church-must-proclaim-the-truth-on-new-french-abortion-law/, Catholic bishop: ‘the Church must proclaim the truth’ on new French abortion law, The Catholic World Report, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/french-anti-abortion-activists-digital-guerilla-tactics/, Open Democracy: How French anti-abortion activists have used ‘digital guerrilla’ tactics, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://www.politico.eu/article/france-to-sanction-misleading-anti-abortion-websites/, Politico: France to sanction ‘misleading’ anti-abortion websites, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2021/11/05/on-abortion-germany-is-not-as-liberal-as-you-may-think, My Europe, On abortion, Germany is not as liberal as you may think, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://www.dw.com/en/germany-moves-to-reform-abortion-law/a-62014740, Germany moves to reform abortion law, Deutsches Welles, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://www.dw.com/en/pro-life-and-pro-choice-in-germany/a-18723361, Pro-life and pro-choice in Germany, Deutsches Welles, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://international.la-croix.com/news/ethics/german-catholics-divided-by-generational-lines-on-abortion-adverts/15935, La Croix inernational, German Catholics divided by generational lines on abortion adverts, retrieved August 7th 2022
- ↑ https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/10/03/putins-next-target-is-russias-abortion-culture/, Putin’s Next Target Is Russia’s Abortion Culture, Dispatch, 2017, retrieved July 28th 2022
- ↑ https://www.dw.com/en/russian-anti-abortion-group-fights-and-prays-for-ban/a-40177234, Russian anti-abortion group fights and prays for ban, Deutsches Welles, 2017, retrieved July 28th 2022
- ↑ https://orthochristian.com/146616.html, ANTI-ABORTION OPINION IN RUSSIA NEARLY DOUBLED OVER THE PAST 7 YEARS, Orthodox Christianity, 2022, retrieved July 28th 2022
- ↑ https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/president-reagan-put-his-pro-life-stance-center-stage-supporting-march-life, President Reagan Put His Pro-Life Stance Center Stage In Supporting the March for Life, Penny Starr | January 20, 2012, retrieved February 15th 2022
- ↑ https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/181629, How the Republicans Became the Anti-Abortion Party, and What it Means for the GOP Today, History News Network, retrieved February 15th 2022
- ↑ https://www.adl.org/news/article/anti-abortion-violence-americas-forgotten-terrorism, Anti-Abortion Violence: America's Forgotten Terrorism, Anti-defamation league, retrieved February 15th 2022
- ↑ https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2021/10/26-states-are-certain-or-likely-ban-abortion-without-roe-heres-which-ones-and-why， 26 States Are Certain or Likely to Ban Abortion Without Roe: Here’s Which Ones and Why， Guttmacher institute, February 15th 2022
- ↑ In Puerto Rico, lawmakers clash over bill to restrict abortions in first public hearing, Associated Press, April 27, 2022
- ↑ https://www.catholicregister.org/home/international/item/27781-brazil-church-leaders-speak-against-decriminalization-of-abortion, retrieved February 24th 2022
- ↑ https://www.catholicregister.org/home/international/item/23735-partial-decriminalization-of-abortion-in-brazil-causes-uproar-among-religious, retrieved February 24th 2022
- ↑ https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/5719/bolsonaros-war-on-abortion, Bolsonaro's war on abortion, New Humanist, retrieved February 24th 2022
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/17/brazil-protest-abortion-recife-hospital, Brazil: outcry as religious extremists harass child seeking abortion, The Guardian, retrieved February 24th 2022
- ↑ https://www.lifenews.com/2021/04/12/mexico-catholic-church-condemns-abortion-stand-for-the-defense-of-the-life-of-every-human-being/, Mexico Catholic Church Condemns Abortion: “Stand for the Defense of the Life of Every Human Being”, lifenews.com, retrieved July 31st 2022
- ↑ https://thebridgehead.ca/2019/02/15/mexicos-pro-life-movement-battles-to-keep-abortion-forces-out/, Mexico’s pro-life movement battles to keep abortion forces out, The Bridgehead, retrieved July 31st 2022
- ↑ https://www.frc.org/blog/2021/10/what-does-future-hold-pro-life-movement-mexico, What Does the Future Hold for the Pro-life Movement in Mexico?, Family Research Council, retrieved July 31st 2022
External links[edit]
This article "Anti-abortion by country" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Anti-abortion by country. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
