UAE to allow abortion, its law is more liberal than in nine US states

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is on course to permit abortions in cases of rape and incest, and could result in the Islamic country’s abortion laws being more liberal than those in as many as nine US states.

Since the US Supreme Court eliminated the federal constitutional protections for abortion in 2022, 14 states have banned medical termination of pregnancy in almost all circumstances.

In contrast, the UAE Cabinet has approved a resolution allowing abortions in cases of rape and incest, provided the incident is reported immediately, and the procedure is carried out within 120 days of pregnancy.

Among the 14 American states, nine states — Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas — do not even permit abortions in cases of rape or incest, according to a report by the healthcare research nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

In comparison to the recent changes in the Arabian nation in this regard, several US states maintain stringent restrictions on abortion. Let us have a look at the states and their provisions.

Arizona: Abortion is banned after 15 weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest. A near-total ban may be briefly enforceable until a repeal of the state’s 1864 abortion law takes effect in the fall.

Mississippi: Abortion bans have exceptions for rape and incest, but a report to law enforcement is required.

Idaho: The six-week and total abortion bans contain exceptions for rape and incest, applicable only during the first trimester in the total ban, and the assault must be reported to law enforcement.

Indiana: The total abortion ban allows exceptions for rape and incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

North Dakota: Abortion in the case of rape or incest is applicable up to six weeks of pregnancy.

West Virginia: The total ban includes exceptions for rape and incest, allowing abortion up to eight weeks for adults and 14 weeks for minors, with mandatory reporting to law enforcement.

UAE’s BIG REFORMS ON ABORTION RIGHTS

The UAE’s Cabinet Resolution No. (44) of 2024 connected to Medical Liability law states that abortion is allowed “if the pregnancy is the result of intercourse with a female against her will, without her consent, or without adequate volition” and “if the person who caused the pregnancy is an ancestor of the woman or one of her mahram [ineligible for marriage] relatives”.

This development was reported by The National, which is the UAE’s state-owned English-language daily.

The resolution will come into effect once it is announced in the UAE’s Official Gazette, it said.

Dr Paul Bosio, chief medical officer at Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi said that the new Cabinet resolution aimed to preserve the health and safety of women and society and was a significant positive development.

“This resolution now adds pregnancies through coercion, invalid consent or incestuous relationships as possible indications, as well as giving the mother the full consent and authority to request the procedure,” he was quoted by The National as saying.