In a historic move, France became the first nation to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right. However, there are a few countries that prohibit elective abortion even as many nations have adopted measures to liberalise its abortion laws | AFP
The 1973 Roe v. Wade landmark decision in favour of abortion rights was overturned by the US Supreme Court in 2022. The nationwide protections for abortion rights have since been removed and some states have criminalised abortion as well | AP
One of the first countries in Europe to allow abortion in limited cases saw a reversal in its laws later. Following the end of the communist rule, Poland officially abolished abortion in 2021 in almost all circumstances including the detection of foetal impairment | Reuters
Nicaragua implemented a total ban on abortion in November 2006. It overturned a long-standing law that allowed 'therapeutic' abortions when the life of a pregnant woman was in danger | Reuters
The nation has one of the strictest anti-abortion laws. Since 1998, El Salvador's constitution prohibited all abortions under the law, with no exception for rape, incest, or danger to the mother's life | AFP
According to studies, around 39,000 deaths occur per year from unsafe abortions. Human rights bodies say that the denial of abortion is nothing short of a true human rights violation | AFP