Table 1 Selected Abortion laws in countries from which participants travelled at time of study (2017–2019)*
Country | Description of law |
|---|---|
Germany | Abortion legal up to 12 weeks after conception on request or in the case of medical indications (serious physical or mental health problems of the pregnant person) or criminal indications (rape). Abortion after 12 weeks allowed on medical or criminal grounds only [54] Mandatory 3 day waiting period [54] Abortion providers banned from providing information on abortion or advertising abortion services [45] |
France | Abortion legal up to 12 weeks upon request.^ Abortion after 12 weeks allowed for medical reasons including danger to the pregnant person’s health or serious and incurable fetal conditions [56] Mandatory counseling for those under 18 years old [57] |
Italy | Abortion legal for first 90 days of pregnancy# on broad grounds (a serious threat to the mother’s physical or psychological health, for her health situation, her economic, social or familial conditions, the circumstances of conception, or anomalies or malformations of the foetus). After 90 days only medical exceptions for access to abortion including danger to pregnant person’s life and pathologies affecting the woman or foetal malformation that determine a serious danger for her health (physical or mental) [58] Minors require parental consent or judicial bypass Mandatory 7 day waiting period [15] |
Belgium | Abortion legal up to 12 weeks on the grounds of “distress and emergency” after which abortion legal only if serious risk to pregnant person’s life or the fetus has severe malformations [59] Mandatory 6 day waiting period [15] Mandatory counseling on alternatives to abortion [59] |
Austria | Legal in the first three months of pregnancy on demand. After 16 weeks legal in case of physical or mental threat to pregnant person, severe fetal malformations, or if pregnant person is under 14 [60, 61] |
Denmark | Legal up to 12 weeks of pregnancy on demand. After 12 weeks abortion must be approved by a council. Can be considered in cases of pregnant person’s life or health in danger or due to existing physical or mental illness, rape or incest, severe fetal malformation, demonstrated “inability to care” for child (61, 62) -Parental consent required for minors[64] |