A large majority of countries allow abortion under at least some circumstances.

Most industrialised countries permit the procedure without restriction, according to the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), a non-partisan thinktank, with the global trend in abortion law moving towards liberalisation.

In the last 30 years, more than 60 countries have changed their abortion laws and all but four - the US, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Poland - expanded legal access, the CFR said.

In Ireland, for example, parliament in 2018 legalised abortion before 12 weeks of pregnancy, and later in pregnancy when the mother’s life is at stake.

In other western countries, abortion laws are comparable to US states that allow abortion at least until the second trimester.

Women in France are guaranteed abortion access until 14 weeks of pregnancy. In the UK, abortions can be carried out until 24 weeks of pregnancy, with abortions after that in limited circumstances, like if the mother’s life is at risk. In Canada, there is no gestational limit on abortion.