ArticleSexual and reproductive health matters2025
A global, descriptive analysis of the sources used to regulate abortion care.
Article in Sexual and reproductive health matters, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
An enabling environment is essential for delivering quality, comprehensive abortion care. According to the WHO, abortion should be treated like other healthcare services, regulated by healthcare law, and guided by evidence-based standards and guidelines. This paper examines abortion regulations across 183 countries, drawing on data from the Global Abortion Policies Database, up to May 2025. It divides sources relevant to the regulation of abortion care into seven categories: Criminal/Penal Code, Abortion-specific Law, Health Regulation/Clinical Guidelines, Constitution, Case Law, Essential Medicines List /Registered List, and other sources. The findings of this paper indicate that abortion is regulated through an often complex and fragmented framework, characterised by over-reliance on the general criminal law, the use of multiple and sometimes contradictory sources, and information gaps in certain key areas. 169 countries regulate abortion through their Criminal or Penal Code, with general criminal law the only source regulating abortion in 27 countries. Information about grounds and gestational limits for abortion can be found in the general criminal law in 123 countries. 46 countries have abortion-specific laws; 16 countries include relevant provisions in their constitution; in 90 countries, abortion-related information is spread across five or more source documents; and the status of conscientious objection is not regulated by any document in 109 countries. This landscape risks exacerbating existing barriers to abortion care, including stigma and inadequate access to information, and reinforces abortion exceptionalism. These findings raise questions about how reforming the regulation of abortion, including the nature and number of source documents involved, can shape an enabling environment for abortion care. They also highlight the need to identify effective strategies for safeguarding the health and rights of people seeking abortions. DOI: 10.1080/26410397.2026.2710920.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.