Beyond decriminalization: exploring the legalization of abortion globally

Public health guidance and human rights standards recommend states to decriminalize abortion, and further recommend that they legalise abortion care to ensure that abortion seekers can access quality and human rights consistent care. This paper explores abortion decriminalization and legalization globally, including by clearly distinguishing between them to discuss the content, implications, and consequences of each. Furthermore, it uses data from the GAPD to identify trends and patterns in how countries have approached these regulatory questions, outlining four models of legalization identified through the texts of national laws and policies.