Abortion legislation
Legal conditions
- Written consent by the woman
- Pre-abortion consultation (legal counselling) + pre-abortion consultation with a social worker + pre-abortion confirmation consultation
- Mandatory 6-day period between counselling and abortion procedure (It can be added to the 14 weeks from LMP limit in case the woman shows late in her pregnancy)
- Contraception evoked during at least 1 of the medical consultations
- Counselling has to be in the same place as abortion.
Specific conditions for minors
- None
Sources
- IPPF European Network – Updated January 2012 (http://www.ippfen.org/)
- SENSOA (https://www.sensoa.be/)
- Fédération Laïque de Centres de Planning Familial (FLCPF) (https://www.planningfamilial.net)
- LUNA (www.abortus.be)
Practical conditions
Mandatory pre-abortion examinations
- None
Involved healthcare professionals
- Surgical abortion: obstetrician/gynaecologist (OB/GYN) or general practitioner (GP)
- Medical abortion: OB/GYN or another physician
Sources
- IPPF European Network – Updated January 2012 (http://www.ippfen.org/)
- SENSOA (https://www.sensoa.be/)
- Fédération Laïque de Centres de Planning Familial (FLCPF) (https://www.planningfamilial.net)
- LUNA (www.abortus.be)
Abortion statistics
Overall number of induced abortions
Source: Rapport de la Commission nationale d'évaluation de l'interruption volontaire de grossesse 2020-2021
https://organesdeconcertation.sante.belgique.be/sites/default/files/documents/rapport_2020-2021_fr_-_fevrier_2023.pdf
Abortion ratio per 1.000 live births: ()
Source:
Abortions performed “on request”: % ()
Source:
Overall number of induced abortions vs. medical abortions
Source: Rapport de la Commission nationale d'évaluation de l'interruption volontaire de grossesse 2020-2021
https://organesdeconcertation.sante.belgique.be/sites/default/files/documents/rapport_2020-2021_fr_-_fevrier_2023.pdf
Induced abortions per gestational age
Unfortunately we have no data for this country.Source: https://organesdeconcertation.sante.belgique.be/sites/default/files/documents/rapport_2020-2021_fr_-_fevrier_2023.pdf
Place of abortion
Source: https://organesdeconcertation.sante.belgique.be/sites/default/files/documents/rapport_2020-2021_fr_-_fevrier_2023.pdf
Characteristics of women having induced abortion
In 2021, among women who had induced abortion
- 99% lived in Belgium
- **% had at least 1 previous induced abortion
- 56% had at least 1 child.
Sources
Fertility and contraception
Women age at first birth
- 29,3 years of age (2020)
Overall contraception data
- 53% of women aged 15-49 used a contraceptive method (2019)
- 45% used oral contraceptive
- 2% used intra-uterine device (IUD).
Pre-abortion contraception
- 56 % of women had a contraceptive method prescribed during abortion process (2017)
- 1,15 % of women had long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) prescribed during abortion process (2017)
Contraception during abortion process
Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) prescribed during abortion process can be placed in abortion facilities:
- IUDs are placed 0 to 14 days after abortion procedure
- Implants are placed 0 to 14 days after abortion procedure.
Sources
- https://statbel.fgov.be/fr/nouvelles/une-mere-en-moyenne-31-ans-la-naissance-de-son-enfant
- https://organesdeconcertation.sante.belgique.be/sites/default/files/documents/rapport_2020-2021_fr_-_fevrier_2023.pdf
- Report Nationale Evaluatiecommissie zwangerschapsafbreking – tweejaarlijks verslag,2020
- LUNA (https://www.abortus.be/)(IUD).
Country-specific characteristics
A special thanks to our correspondents for contributing in data collection.
Please contact info@exelgyn.com if you have additional data or would like to comment information
Page last updated: 7 April 2023