Legal conditions

• Written consent by the woman
• Pre-abortion consultation (legal counselling)

Specific conditions for minors

• Pre-abortion specific counselling with a certified physician (“kantonsarzt”) for minors under 16
• Parent’s (or guardian’s) consent required for minors under 16 incapable of discernment only.

Mandatory pre-abortion examinations

None.

Involved healthcare professionals

• Surgical abortion: obstetrician/gynaecologist (OB/GYN) or another physician
• Medical abortion: OB/GYN or another physician

Abortion ratio

• 115 abortions per 1,000 live births (2016).

Abortions “on request” – Missing data.

Place of abortion – Missing data.

In 2016, among women who had induced abortion:

– 98% lived in Switzerland
– 27%* had at least 1 previous induced abortion
– 48%* had at least 1 child.
*Data available for 37% of the performed abortions

Women age at first birth

• 32 years of age (2015).

Overall contraception data

• Contraceptive prevalence rate was 806*/1,000 women aged 15-49 in 2012:

– use of oral contraceptive: 444*/1,000
– use of intra-uterine device (IUD): 141*/1,000.
*in the last 12 months, sexually active

Pre-abortion contraception

• 58%** of women who had abortion had a contraceptive method before abortion procedure.
  **Data available for 21% of the performed abortions

Contraception during abortion process (2016)

• 94%** of women had a contraceptive method prescribed during abortion process
• 39%** of women had a Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) prescribed during abortion process
• IUD and implants can be placed in abortion facilities.
  **Data available for 21% of the performed abortions

• Abortion is taught during health care professionals’ (HCPs’) medical studies.
• HCPs do not have the right to conscientiously object.
• Abortion is not reimbursed by the Health national social security.
• Both surgical and medical abortions are reimbursed to resident women by private health insurance. Nevertheless, women have to pay an “annual deductible” for treatments overall, i.e., the first 300 – 4,400 € depending on the insurance model + 10% of the costs exceding the deductible, up to a payment of 600 €.
• Non-resident women have to pay around 850 – 2,600 € (surgical) or 440 – 1,300 € (medical).