Thailand will legalize abortion for up to 20 weeks, easing pregnant women's access to this previously restricted medical procedure, the government announced on Tuesday.
Terminations of pregnancy remained illegal in the kingdom, except in cases of rape or threat to the life of the mother, until February last year, when the law was lifted for pregnant women under twelve weeks.
However, the termination of pregnancy remains strongly stigmatized in this predominantly Buddhist country, marked by the discovery in 2010 of some two thousand fetuses illegally aborted in a temple.
Abortions up to twenty weeks will now be allowed, an official statement said, adding that "termination of pregnancy will not be considered a crime".
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Previously, abortion was punishable by a fine of up to more than $260 or six months in jail, or both.
A notice published in the Royal Gazette
on Monday
states that pregnant women over 12 weeks but less than 20 weeks pregnant who wish to have an abortion should "consult medical advisers so that they have full information before deciding to terminate the pregnancy".
Despite the change in the law in February 2021, access to abortion in the kingdom remains limited and poorly regarded in the country.
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