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A review of abortion laws in Western-European countries. A cross-national comparison of legal developments between 1960 and 2010

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  • Levels, Mark
  • Sluiter, Roderick
  • Need, Ariana

Abstract

The extent to which women have had access to legal abortions has changed dramatically in Western-Europe between 1960 and 2010. In most countries, abortion laws developed from completely banning abortion to allowing its availability on request. Both the timing and the substance of the various legal developments differed dramatically between countries. Existing comparative studies on abortion laws in Western-European countries lack detail, usually focus either on first-trimester abortions or second trimester abortions, cover a limited time-span and are sometimes inconsistent with one another. Combining information from various primary and secondary sources, we show how and when the conditions for legally obtaining abortion during the entire gestation period in 20 major Western-European countries have changed between 1960 and 2010. We also construct a cross-nationally comparable classification of procedural barriers that limit abortion access. Our cross-national comparison shows that Western-Europe witnessed a general trend towards decreased restrictiveness of abortion laws. However, legal approaches to regulating abortion are highly different in detail. Abortion access remains limited, sometimes even in countries where abortion is legally available without restrictions relating to reasons.

Suggested Citation

  • Levels, Mark & Sluiter, Roderick & Need, Ariana, 2014. "A review of abortion laws in Western-European countries. A cross-national comparison of legal developments between 1960 and 2010," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(1), pages 95-104.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:118:y:2014:i:1:p:95-104
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2014.06.008
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ira Wasserman, 1983. "A cross-national comparison of contraception and abortion laws," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 281-309, October.
    2. Cook, R.J. & Dickens, B.M. & Bliss, L.E., 1999. "International developments in abortion law from 1988 to 1998," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 89(4), pages 579-586.
    3. Berry, Frances Stokes & Berry, William D., 1990. "State Lottery Adoptions as Policy Innovations: An Event History Analysis," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 84(2), pages 395-415, June.
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    1. Bojovic, Neva & Stanisljevic, Jovana, 2024. "Constitutional enshrinement as a way of safeguarding abortion rights: The case of France," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    2. Judith C. Koops & Aart C. Liefbroer & Anne H. Gauthier, 2017. "The Influence of Parental Educational Attainment on the Partnership Context at First Birth in 16 Western Societies," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 33(4), pages 533-557, October.
    3. Bojovic, Neva & Stanisljevic, Jovana & Giunti, Guido, 2021. "The impact of COVID-19 on abortion access: Insights from the European Union and the United Kingdom," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(7), pages 841-858.
    4. De Zordo, Silvia & Mishtal, Joanna & Zanini, Giulia & Gerdts, Caitlin, 2023. "“The first difficulty is time”: The impact of gestational age limits on reproductive health and justice in the context of cross-border travel for abortion care in Europe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 321(C).
    5. Amada Pellico-López & María Paz-Zulueta & Jimena B. Manjón-Rodríguez & Mar Sánchez Movellán & Purificación Ajo Bolado & José García-Vázquez & Joaquín Cayón-De las Cuevas & Laura Ruiz-Azcona, 2022. "Evolution of Legislation and the Incidence of Elective Abortion in Spain: A Retrospective Observational Study (2011–2020)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-11, August.
    6. Sarah C.M. Roberts, 2019. "The Presence and Consequences of Abortion Aversion in Scientific Research Related to Alcohol Use during Pregnancy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-10, August.
    7. Jill Barr-Walker & Ruvani T Jayaweera & Ana Maria Ramirez & Caitlin Gerdts, 2019. "Experiences of women who travel for abortion: A mixed methods systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-26, April.

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