Fifty years ago, when the landmark Roe v Wade ruling protected a woman’s right to abortion under the US Constitution, it heralded a new era of reproductive rights advocacy across the globe. Now that it has been struck down by America’s Supreme Court, the shockwaves are again being felt worldwide.
Some countries, such as Israel and France, have already moved to improve access to abortion after condemning the ruling. But experts warn the shift in the US could roll back the gains achieved by abortion advocates and trigger a wave of restrictions around the world as pro-life proponents rally around their win. The World Health Organisation called the court’s decision a “setback that will cost lives” because it will drive more women and girls to the unsafe abortions that already carry a heavy toll around the world.
Here’s a quick look at how global abortion access has been shifting in recent years:
The big picture
Abortion laws vary wildly, but even some countries with bans (such as Egypt) allow exceptions when the mother’s life is in danger and, sometimes, in the case of rape. According to advocacy group the Centre for Reproductive Rights, which tracks access, about 20 countries including Iraq, Malta and the Philippines still have total bans in place – and often hefty jail terms for both doctors and mothers. Many countries allow abortions for broader heath and socioeconomic reasons, say, because the mother cannot care for a child or the pregnancy will have a damaging impact on her mental health. And about 70 countries, including Australia, allow abortion on request. Of course, even in countries where abortion has been decriminalised, laws differ on how far along a pregnancy can go before a termination is no longer allowed, and few have enshrined a constitutional right to abortion
Where abortion access is expanding
Days after Roe v Wade fell, Israel moved to loosen its own abortion regulation. (The country’s health minister said the US Supreme Court had set back women’s rights by “100 years”.) Israel’s new policy, approved on June 27 by a large parliamentary majority, grants access to abortion pills through Israel’s universal healthcare system and throws out the old requirement to appear before a special committee for approval.
In France, a majority of politicians now say they will back a bill enshrining the right to abortion in the Constitution, not just in law.
Though some conservative politicians in New Zealand have celebrated the end of Roe v Wade, the country’s opposition has since ruled out pushing to restrict abortion access again, after it was decriminalised in 2020.