Texas’ ban on abortion beyond six weeks — before many women even know they have conceived — has widened the reproductive health gap between the United States and other leading democracies. Here’s how it compares to several other countries.
The US Supreme Court formally denied a request from Texas abortion providers to freeze the new law on Wednesday, even though it violates Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion across the US prior to viability, which happens at around 24 weeks of pregnancy. One of the most restrictive in the US and the entire developed world, the law also allows private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who assists a pregnant person seeking an abortion in violation of the ban. The move by Texas opens the door for other Republican-led states seeking to pass similar legislation and puts Roe further at risk. The United States is among 55 countries where abortion is legal at the request of the person who is pregnant with no requirement for justification, according to the World Health Organization. But restrictions on abortion at the state level mean that accessing an abortion is far more difficult in some places than others. Here’s how the US state of Texas compares to several other countries around the world. Key US allies have far greater access to abortion In developed countries where abortion is legal, none have set a gestation limit as early as six weeks, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), which campaigns for improved access to abortion. The US’ northern neighbor, Canada, is one of the few countries which allows abortion at any point during pregnancy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has criticized moves in US states to make abortions more difficult to access. Abortions are available at hospitals and private clinics; in most cases the procedure is covered by provincial government health insurance plans, which means they are essentially free. But the lack of a national abortion law in Canada has left access to services across the country patchy. Most European Union nations — including those in the G7 — allow abortion with gestation limits, the most common being 12 weeks, according to monitoring charities including CRR.
