Table 1 Characteristics of the health exception within the abortion laws of Mexico, Britain, and Colombia
From: Access to abortion under the heath exception: a comparative analysis in three countries
Characteristic | Country | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Britain | Colombia | Mexico | |
Health exception law coverage / year | Federal (applies to England, Scotland, Wales) / 1967 [34] | Federal / 2006 [35] | State / 1990–2016 [36] |
Legislative precedence | Act of parliament (law reform) | Total ban declared unconstitutional under a human rights framework | Penal code reform |
Language of the law | Risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman [34] | Risk to the life or health of the woman [22] | Severe risk to the health of the woman Risk of death or severe injury to the health of the woman [37] |
Gestational age limit for the health exception | 24 weeks [34] | None [35] | None [37] |
Number of doctors required for approval of health exception | Two [38] | One [35] | Two [11] |
Consideration of economic or social factors explicitly mentioned or allowed | Yes [38] | No | In States of Michoacán and Yucatán |
Further barriers exist for minors securing an abortion under the health exception | No | No | Yes [40] |
Mental health is explicitly mentioned in the health exception law | Yes [34] | No, but stated by the Constitutional Court [9] | No |
There was widespread dissemination around the law and health exception to health care providers (including provider trainings and other education) | ++ [41] | + [42] | – |
There was widespread dissemination of the health exception law to the public | +/− [22] | – | |
Evidence suggests that access is as easy in the public as in the private sector | No | No | No |
There are documented cases protecting women or doctors accessing or performing abortions under the health exception | Yes [34] | Yes [9] | Yes [11] |
There are documented cases of women not being able to access abortion under the health exception | No | Yes [9] | Yes [11] |
There are documented cases of women accessing abortion using the health exception law | Yes [15] | Yes [45] | Yes [46] |