DISCLAIMER.
UAE Clarifies Abortion Rules
New regulation calls for the establishment of committees to evaluate abortion requests on a case-by-case basis
The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Health and Prevention announced new regulations on abortion last week, clarifying the cases in which a woman is allowed to terminate her pregnancy.
The new regulation allows women to request an abortion during the first 120 days of pregnancy. A committee will then examine the request, and if the committee finds a medical case for the abortion, the woman will be allowed to undergo an abortion. According to regulation, abortions will be performed only by specialist obstetrician-gynecologists in licensed healthcare facilities.
Abortion is permitted in the UAE when the pregnant woman’s life is at risk or if the fetus has a severe deformity. About 73 million abortions take place around the world annually, accounting for 29% of pregnancies each year.
“While abortions do have a significant emotional impact on parents, they are not unusual and certainly do not stand as an indication that the mother is unfit to give birth to another life,” Dr. Grace, a gynecologist, told The Media Line.