Abortion in Belarus has been legal since November 23, 1955, when Belarus was a republic of the Soviet Union.Belarus - ABORTION POLICY - United Nations
/ref> The current abortion legislation dates from December 31, 1987, and is one of the most liberal abortion laws in Europe. Abortion is allowed on request up to 12 weeks, and in specific circumstances, on a variety of grounds, until 28 weeks. The 1987 law allows abortion for the traditional reasons of harm or death to the fetus and/or mother, rape and incest, as well as: * the death of the husband during pregnancy, * a

prison sentence In law, a sentence is the punishment for a crime ordered by a trial court after conviction in a criminal procedure, normally at the conclusion of a trial. A sentence may consist of imprisonment, a fine, or other sanctions. Sentences for multipl ...

for either the mother or father, * a court order stripping the pregnant woman of

parental rights A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male ...

, * if a household already exceeds five children, * if the relationship between mother and father ends in divorce, * or a family history which includes

mental Mental may refer to: * of or relating to the mind Films * ''Mental'' (2012 film), an Australian comedy-drama * ''Mental'' (2016 film), a Bangladeshi romantic-action movie * ''Mental'', a 2008 documentary by Kazuhiro Soda * ''Mental'', a 2014 O ...

physical disabilities A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disability, disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living skills, daily living, such as respiratory ...

. Once a popular method of

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

, abortions exceeded live births two-to-one in 1995.Fewer Abortions In Belarus, But More Single Mothers
/ref> The rate had fallen by over 75%, with abortions numbering 42,000 (or 39% of the live birth rate) in 2008. , the abortion rate was 14.7 abortions per 1000 women aged 15–44 years. Like many countries in Eastern Europe, Belarus's population has been falling since the end of the Cold War. To combat this, the Belarus government passed legislation in 2014 allowing doctors to refuse to conduct abortions. and gives benefits to encourage people to have more children. According to a 2021 Chatham House survey, "63% of Belarusians believe that abortion should be legal in most or all cases", however "this number has fallen from 75% in Belarus since November of 2020".

References

Belarus Healthcare in Belarus Law of Belarus Belarus Women in Belarus {{Belarus-stub