Legal Abortion Limits: A Global Overview

The gestational limit for legal abortions varies around the world. In most countries, abortions are legal up to a certain point in the pregnancy, typically 12 or 24 weeks. In some countries, abortions are legal only in cases of risk to the mother's health or life, or in cases of rape or incest. In some countries, abortions are illegal except in cases where the mother's life is in danger.

There is no consensus on what point in pregnancy a fetus becomes a person with rights that warrant legal protection. Some people believe that personhood begins at conception, while others believe that it occurs at a later point in development, such as at quickening (when the mother first feels the fetus moving) or at viability (when the fetus could survive outside the womb).

Because there is no clear consensus on when personhood begins, the gestational limit for legal abortions remains a matter of debate and public policy.