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Abortion: Law and Public Opinion Across the World
Given that Forum Members are mainly American, discussion on topics like abortion, tends to focus on the US.
I thought it might be useful to see abortion law, and public opinion on the acceptability of abortion, as it applies across the world.
Down below I’ve posted a map and a table.
The map comes from the Centre for Reproductive Rights and shows the current legal status of abortion across the globe. The online version (link above map) is interactive. Broadly speaking, Western countries, plus Russia and China, have abortion on request (within variable gestational limits). African, South American, Middle Eastern and South East Asian countries are a patchwork of more restrictive abortion law. There are 26 countries which totally prohibit abortion under any circumstances.
While the map covers abortion law, the table, based on a 2020 Ipsos survey of 25 countries, shows levels of public acceptance of legalised abortion. The population percentage supporting abortion varies enormously from 88% in Sweden down to 24% in Malaysia. Despite having abortion on request (with state variants) the US has one of the lowest rates of public acceptance of legalised abortion although abortion is acceptable to a significant majority (64%).
The table link (above the table) has more detailed data including comparisons to 2014 and 2019 opinion.
The World's Abortion Laws | Center for Reproductive Rights
Global Views on Abortion - August 2020 - Ipsos
OB
Given that Forum Members are mainly American, discussion on topics like abortion, tends to focus on the US.
I thought it might be useful to see abortion law, and public opinion on the acceptability of abortion, as it applies across the world.
Down below I’ve posted a map and a table.
The map comes from the Centre for Reproductive Rights and shows the current legal status of abortion across the globe. The online version (link above map) is interactive. Broadly speaking, Western countries, plus Russia and China, have abortion on request (within variable gestational limits). African, South American, Middle Eastern and South East Asian countries are a patchwork of more restrictive abortion law. There are 26 countries which totally prohibit abortion under any circumstances.
While the map covers abortion law, the table, based on a 2020 Ipsos survey of 25 countries, shows levels of public acceptance of legalised abortion. The population percentage supporting abortion varies enormously from 88% in Sweden down to 24% in Malaysia. Despite having abortion on request (with state variants) the US has one of the lowest rates of public acceptance of legalised abortion although abortion is acceptable to a significant majority (64%).
The table link (above the table) has more detailed data including comparisons to 2014 and 2019 opinion.
The World's Abortion Laws | Center for Reproductive Rights
Global Views on Abortion - August 2020 - Ipsos
OB