POLITICALLY ABORTION IS ALMOST ALWAYS REGULATED BY LAW        3893 WORDS

Politically, abortion is almost always regulated by law. These laws can vary from complete criminalization to specific circumstances of allowances, all the way to complete legalization. The majority of these regulations exist in the middle area, where abortion is regulated but often permitted when women fall under certain circumstances. In fact, only 6% of the worlds reproductive population live in an area where abortion is completely banned. Regulations of abortion is changing, between 2000 – 2017 33 countries have expanded the allowances in which abortion can take place (Institute, 2018b). However, when we look towards Africa the reality changes drastically. On the continent, 93% of women of reproductive age live in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws and 18% of African countries have an outright ban (Institute, 2018a). Politically, abortion regulation can harmfully criminalize women for reproductive consequences that are unfortunately not completely under their control. 58 million women of reproductive age in Africa have an unmet need for contraception and since Africa has the