Existence in the country of legislation allowing on the voluntary interruption of pregnancy: (a) when the woman wishes it (b) in the case of rape or incest (c) when the woman’s life is in danger (d) to protect women’s health (e) other causes.
Definition:
There is legislation in the country that allows the voluntary interruption of pregnancy in the cases listed.
Notes:
Two sources for international comparisons are: the database on abortion legislation maintained by the United Nations Population Division and the Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean of ECLAC. See:
- https://esa.un.org/PopPolicy/about_policy_section.aspx.
- https://esa.un.org/PopPolicy/img/Definitions_of_Policy_Variables.pdf.
- http://oig.cepal.org/en.
- http://oig.cepal.org/es/leyes/leyes-sobre-aborto.
Type
Qualitative
Priority Measures
D.40 - Eliminate causes of maternal morbidity and mortality
40
Eliminate preventable cases of maternal morbidity and mortality, including, within the set of integrated benefits of sexual health and reproductive health services, measures for preventing and avoiding unsafe abortion, including sexual health and reproductive health education, access to modern and effective contraceptive methods, counselling and comprehensive care in cases of unwanted and unaccepted pregnancy, as well as comprehensive post-abortion care, where necessary, on the basis of a risk- and harm-reduction strategy.
D.42 - Safe and quality abortion services in legal or decriminalized abortion settings
42
Ensure, in those cases where abortion is legal or decriminalized under the relevant national legislation, the availability of safe, good-quality abortion services for women with unwanted and unaccepted pregnancies, and urge all other States to consider amending their laws, regulations, strategies and public policies relating to the voluntary termination of pregnancy in order to protect the lives and health of women and adolescent girls, improve their quality of life, and reduce the number of abortions.
H.85 - Indigenous peoples rights
85
Respect and implement the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as Convention No. 169 of the International Labour Organization on indigenous and tribal peoples —and call on those countries that have not already done so to sign it and ratify it— adapting legal frameworks and formulating the policies necessary for their implementation, with the full participation of these peoples, including indigenous peoples that live in cities.
H.87 - Traditional medicine and indigenous health practices.
87
Guarantee indigenous peoples’ right to health, including sexual rights and reproductive rights, and their right to their own traditional medicines and health practices, especially as regards reducing maternal and child mortality considering their socio-territorial and cultural specificities as well as the structural factors that hinder the exercise of this right.
I.92 - Respect for and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action with the full participation of people of African descent
92
Respect and implement the provisions of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, by adapting the legal frameworks and formulating the policies necessary for their implementation, with the full participation of Afro-descendent persons.
I.95 - Right to health in Afro-descendant people
95
Ensure that Afro-descendent persons, in particular Afro-descendent girls, adolescents and women, can exercise the right to health, especially the right to sexual health and reproductive health, taking into account the specific socioterritorial and cultural features and the structural factors, such as racism, that hinder the exercise of their rights.
I.97 - Afro-descendant women and living conditions
97
Ensure that policies and programmes are in place to raise the living standards of Afro-descendent women, by fully enforcing their rights, in particular their sexual rights and reproductive rights.
Topic
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