This medical act is an anonymous right for all pregnant women, major or minor, who wish not to pursue an unwanted pregnancy before its term.
In France, 211,900 voluntary abortions (IVG) were performed in 2016.
A situation that can raise many questions.
What are the legal deadlines for abortion in France?
In France, a woman can have an abortion until 12 weeks of pregnancy (14 weeks of amenorrhea *).
However, some women who have exceeded this deadline are turning to other countries, often bordering on them, because theirs are longer:
- Spain and Belgium: 14 weeks of amenorrhea.
- England and the Netherlands: 24 weeks of amenorrhea.
What are the different methods of abortion?
There are two: the medical method (up to 7 weeks of pregnancy in hospitals, 5 if practiced elsewhere) and the surgical method (or so-called instrumental abortions by suction) until week 12.
Are there any risks of complications?
Like any medical practice, complications can occur (fevers, abdominal pain, malaise, blood loss), but these remain rare.
If these symptoms occur, consult the facility in which the abortion was performed.
Where are the abortions performed?
An abortion may be practiced:
- In the hospital, at a clinic or health center approved for medical or surgical abortion.
- Family Planning, gynecologist, city medical center or hospital for the drug method only.
Is it free?
Since March 31, 2013, the medical termination of pregnancy is 100% covered by the Health Insurance as part of a lump sum.
Since April 1, 2016, the new health law generalizes the paying agent to allow women to not have to advance the costs of acts relating to an abortion (gynecological consultation, ultrasound, blood tests, drug prescriptions ...).
Where can I find reliable sources of information on abortion?
A national green number is set up: 0800 08 11 11 and two reference sites provide complete and reliable information: ivg.planning-familial.org and www.ivg.social-sante.gouv.fr/.
What does French law say about abortion?
The law of January 17, 1975, known as Loi Veil, made it possible to decriminalize abortion in France.
On 4 August 2014, the National Assembly passed a law removing the notion of "distress" of women in the context of a request for abortion and replacing it with "who does not want to continue a pregnancy".
The text of the health law 2016, published in the Official Journal of 27 January 2016, stipulates that the reflection period of one week (between the first consultation and the written confirmation) to be respected before the completion of the abortion is removed. Midwives are also allowed to practice a drug-induced abortion.
On February 15, 2017, the law on the offense of obstruction was passed by Parliament. It aims to penalize any person likely to "prevent or attempt to prevent the practice or information about an abortion ... by any means, including electronically or online, including through the dissemination or the transmission of allegations or indications which may intentionally mislead, with a deterrent purpose, the medical characteristics or consequences of that practice. "Either by disrupting access to institutions (...), the free movement of persons within these institutions or the working conditions of medical and non-medical personnel, either by exerting moral and psychological pressure, threats or an act of intimidation against persons seeking information about an abortion, medical and non-medical personnel, women who have come to seek voluntary termination of pregnancy, or those close to them. "
* After the beginning of the last rules.
