Abortion in Vanuatu is severely restricted by criminal law.^[1] Abortion is illegal under the provisions of section 117 of the Vanuatu Penal Code, Act No. 17 or 7 August 1981.^[2] The code states that any woman who intentionally induces a miscarriage is subject to up to two years' imprisonment.^[1] Abortion is illegal in cases of rape, incest, and threats to fetal health.^[3] The only allocations for abortion are "for good medical reasons",^[4] which a United Nations report interprets as to save the life of the pregnant woman and to preserve her physical and mental health.^[5] Section 113 of the code states that "No person shall, when a woman is about to be delivered of the child, prevent the child from being born alive by any act or omission of such a nature that, if the child had been born alive and had, then died..." although the italicized statement is vague about its meaning.^[4]

Self-induced abortions

The Vanuatu Family Health Association reports various methods women use for self-induced abortions, including the use of local leaves or bark from a tree.^[3] Abortions like this that are outside of the medical system endanger the lives of women, as even an immediate visit to a nearby hospital or clinic may be futile if that medical facility does not have the equipment to repair any damage.^[3]

References

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