ANSIRH and Ibis Reproductive Health released a new study titled, “Public funding for abortion where broadly legal” in the journal Contraception. The study includes 80 countries with liberal or liberally interpreted abortion laws and we found that the vast majority (74%) either fully cover (34 countries) or partially cover (25 countries) abortion using public funding. These countries are home to 87% of the world’s female population of reproductive age. In contrast, the United States is one of only 10 countries that only cover abortion in exceptional cases such as rape, incest, or threat to the pregnant woman’s life. An additional 11 countries provide no public funding at all for abortion.
We surveyed reproductive health experts from each of the countries and searched for published data on country policies. The study findings generally represent the policy as of 2013-2014, except for two countries with older data; however, we note that these policies may change over time.
By restricting federal insurance coverage and funding for abortion, the US is a stark outlier among countries where abortion is legal—especially among high-income nations.
The full publication is available here.