Some of the most restrictive abortion policies in the world are in effect in countries in Central and South America. Most Latin American countries permit abortion only to save a woman’s life, with Nicaragua, El Salvador and Chile restricting abortion under any circumstance. Nevertheless, countries in this region report some of the highest rates of abortion worldwide, due to significant unmet needs for contraception and resulting high rates of unplanned pregnancies. Most abortion procedures are unsafe, and an average of one unsafe abortion occurs for every three live births. South America is the continent with the highest incidence ratio of unsafe abortion worldwide.

In the United States, though abortion has been legal since 1973, a woman’s ability to access abortion varies from state to state. Only one-third of American women live in a county where there is an abortion provider and the number of providers has been steadily declining, making access to services more myth than reality. U.S policies also have an impact on funding for reproductive health in the rest of the world.

Bolivia Brazil

Central America Mexico The United States of America