Mandatory Waiting Periods Before Abortion and Sterilization: Theory and Practice

Figures & data

Table 1 Jurisdictions in Which There are Mandatory Waiting Periods for Abortion (Times are in Days)⁴¹

Europe		Rest of the World
Albania	7	Angola	3
Belgium	6	Armenia	3
Germany	3	Georgia	5
Hungary	3	Guyana	2
Ireland	3	Malaysia	2
Italy	7	Saint Lucia	2
Jersey	7	São Tomé et Príncipe	3
Kosovo	2	Singapore	2
Latvia	3	USA	1*
Luxembourg	3	Uruguay	5
Montenegro	3
Netherlands	5
North Macedonia	3
Poland	3
Portugal	3
Russia	2–7
Slovakia	2
Spain	3

Note: *Present in the abortion laws of 27 out of 50 States, waiting periods range from 18 to 72 hours – the commonest being 24 hours.

WHO. Global Abortion Policies Database. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. Available from: https://abortion-policies.srhr.org. Accessed June 11, 2020.

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