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A Review of Abortion Tourism Conditions in Some Countries with Liberal Abortion Laws and Islamic Countries: A Systematic Review

Document Type : Review Articles

Authors

1 Department of Islamic Jurisprudence and Law, Hazrat-e- Masoumeh University, Qom, Iran

2 Maternal –Fetal Medicine Research Center, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

10.30476/jhsss.2025.104752.2000

Abstract

Background: A bortion b ans, r estrictive l aws, fi nancial a nd procedural barriers, criminalization, and punishment oriented approaches limit access to information about abortion services and increase out-of-state travel to obtain these services. The purpose of this study is to investigate abortion tourism conditions in some countries with liberal abortion laws and in Islamic countries, using a systematic review approach.
Methods: This systematic review searched for articles published between 1970 and 2022 in available Iranian and international databases, such as: SID, Magiran, Irandoc, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, using the following keywords: “induced abortion”, “tourism”, “European”, “Islamic”, and “laws”. The literature search was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. Following the PICO framework, we included studies on women of reproductive age who had traveled for abortion procedures.
Results: Of 68 articles identified from European and Muslim countries, 24 met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Due to the diversity of conditions and contexts, it was not possible to categorize travel approaches uniformly. Studies showed that young age and first pregnancy, delays in seeking care, concerns about negative attitudes, moral and religious stigma, fear of being judged and mistreated by health care providers, as well as legal restrictions and lack of service availability are key conditions that encourage women to travel for abortion.
Conclusion: A bortion l aws w orldwide, s haped b y d ifferent political, cultural, social, and religious backgrounds, range from complete prohibition to complete liberalization. To address the rise in abortion tourism, policymakers and planners must develop strategies to respond to these conditions.

Highlights

Fatemeh Ghodrati (Google Scholar)

Keywords

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Journal of Health Sciences & Surveillance System
Volume 14, Issue 2
April 2026
Pages 98-110
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