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Pakistan: Difference between revisions

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===Laws & Social Stigmas===
===Laws & Social Stigmas===


In Pakistan, abortion is only legal under two circumstances. The first reason is when the woman's life is endangered by the pregnancy. The second reason is “necessary treatment” early in the pregnancy, which may be interpreted as when termination of the pregnancy would preserve the phyicial or mental health of the woman. However, in all other circumstances, including when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, when there is risk of fetal impairment, social or economic reasons or availability upon request, are not permitted. According to the Guttmacher Institute, "Given a lack of clarity in interpreting the law, legal abortion services are difficult to obtain, and most women who have an abortion resort to clandestine and unsafe procedures."<ref>[https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/unintended-pregnancy-and-induced-abortion-pakistan Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion In Pakistan]</ref>
In Pakistan, abortion is only legal under two circumstances. The first reason is when the woman's life is endangered by the pregnancy. The second reason is “necessary treatment” early in the pregnancy, which may be interpreted as when termination of the pregnancy would preserve the physical or mental health of the woman. However, in all other circumstances, including when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, when there is risk of fetal impairment, social or economic reasons or availability upon request, are not permitted. According to the Guttmacher Institute, "Given a lack of clarity in interpreting the law, legal abortion services are difficult to obtain, and most women who have an abortion resort to clandestine and unsafe procedures."<ref>[https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/unintended-pregnancy-and-induced-abortion-pakistan Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion In Pakistan]</ref>


Regarding punishment, according to a UN report, "On the one hand, the law retains features of the old law. Penalties for the crime are still dependent upon which of two stages of development the pregnancy has reached and on whether the woman consents or not. In some cases, they also include imprisonment, now denominated a ta’zir penalty.  On the other hand, the law defines the stages of pregnancy in terms of the formation of organs or limbs according to Islamic law principles and it introduces the distinctive Islamic law penalty of compensation or diyah in the case of late-term pregnancies.  Finally, the new law is somewhat ambiguous: there is no clear demarcation of the two stages of pregnancy or definition of what constitutes “necessary treatment”. Indeed, the law has been criticized for just this reason."<ref>[http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/abortion/profiles.htm UN Report: Pakistani Abortion Law]</ref>
Regarding punishment, according to a UN report, "On the one hand, the law retains features of the old law. Penalties for the crime are still dependent upon which of two stages of development the pregnancy has reached and on whether the woman consents or not. In some cases, they also include imprisonment, now denominated a ta’zir penalty.  On the other hand, the law defines the stages of pregnancy in terms of the formation of organs or limbs according to Islamic law principles and it introduces the distinctive Islamic law penalty of compensation or diyah in the case of late-term pregnancies.  Finally, the new law is somewhat ambiguous: there is no clear demarcation of the two stages of pregnancy or definition of what constitutes “necessary treatment”. Indeed, the law has been criticized for just this reason."<ref>[http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/abortion/profiles.htm UN Report: Pakistani Abortion Law]</ref>

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