Abortion in Ukraine is legal on request during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. Between 12 and 28 weeks,

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

is available on a variety of grounds, including medical, social and personal grounds, and for any reason with the approval of a commission of physicians. Oral contraception is available over-the-counter without a prescription and the morning after pill is also readily available. Prior to 1991, abortion in Ukraine was governed by the abortion laws of the Soviet Union. The laws have not changed since then. Abortion rates have fallen from 109 abortions per 1000 women aged 15–44 in 1986 to 80.9 in 1991, 67.2 in 1996 and 27.5 in 2004. , the abortion rate was 21.2 abortions per 1000 women aged 15–44. In 2014 the abortion rate in Ukraine decreased to 14.89 per 1000 women aged 15–44. Abortion rates in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

and

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

have converged in recent years, creating a large gap with post-Soviet

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. In 2018, the abortion rate increased to 247 abortions per 1000 live births. Near the end of a long interview in 2019 during his political campaign,

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...

(now

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

) was asked about abortion rights. The interviewer mentioned to Zelenskyy that laws are often adopted in Eastern and Central Europe that cause public outcry, saying that in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, for example, there were huge protests when the Polish government wanted to ban abortion. Zelenskyy stated that abortion should not be banned, that to get an abortion is a personal choice and that there needs to be less impingement on human freedom.

Impact of the 2022 Russian Invasion

Reports revealed that access to abortion following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 became increasingly difficult. The Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health Crises identified access to safe abortion and post-abortion care as priority services for humanitarian aid, yet according to some experts, abortion services did not get the attention they deserved. The International Planned Parenthood Federation sent post-rape kits to Ukraine which included abortion pills after hearing reports of increased occurrences of rape. Difficulties also arose due to Ukraine's geographical location. Many Ukrainians fled to neighbouring Poland but Polish abortion laws differ greatly from Ukraine's. Abortion is only allowed if a pregnancy is as a result of a criminal act or if a woman's life and health is in danger. Ukrainian women crossing the border into Poland were met by anti-abortion groups such as the Life and Family Group.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abortion In Ukraine

Healthcare in Ukraine