Nations around the world have adopted laws that protect a woman's right to have an abortion. Currently, 61% of the world's people live in countries where induced abortion is permitted either for a wide range of reasons or without restriction as to reason. In contrast, 26% of all people reside in countries where abortion is generally prohibited. While the last 20 years have seen a clear trend toward the removal of legal barriers to abortion access, the right to choose abortion remains unavailable or under threat in many parts of the world.

It should be noted that even in countries where laws permit abortion on broad grounds, a woman's choice might be undermined by procedural barriers to abortion services. Throughout the world, such barriers include:

• Mandatory counseling, often intended to discourage pregnant women from seeking abortion;
• Waiting periods, sometimes requiring a woman to wait several days before being permitted to undergo an abortion;
• Consent and notification requirements, obliging a married woman to obtain the consent of her spouse or requiring a minor girl to notify or obtain the consent of a parent prior to an abortion; and
• Restrictions on abortion advertising, preventing women from obtaining much- needed information about the availability of abortion services.

In drafting legislation or regulations regarding abortion, governments should make women's human rights—including their rights to reproductive autonomy, equality, and health—their primary consideration.