In Benin, abortion is legal on broad socioeconomic grounds up to twelve weeks of pregnancy.
During the French colonial era, a 1920 law banned abortion except to save the life of the woman.
In 2003, the National Assembly legalised abortion in the cases of threat to the mother's health, pregnancy from rape or incest, or risk of birth defects.
Many public health officials support legal abortion and cite the country's maternal mortality rate.
[8] A select list of experts were allowed to examine a pregnancy to determine whether the only option for saving the woman's life was to induce abortion.
The new law allowed for abortion on request for up to twelve weeks of pregnancy for socioeconomic reasons.
[16] President of the National Assembly Louis Vlavonou argued that the law was caused by Western influence and a conspiracy against African values.
Beninese Association for Family Promotion), the Collège National des Gynécologues et Obstétriciens du Bénin (CNGOB, transl.
Benin National Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), and the non-governmental organization Femmes engagées pour le développement (transl.
"[17] Organisations that advocate for access to safe abortion as part of sexual and reproductive health, include ABPF, the Parliamentary Network for Population and Development, Ipas Francophone Africa, CNGOB, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Rutgers, and UNFPA Benin.
[21] From September 2020 to December 2021, Ipas Francophone Africa collaborated with Rutgers to implement the "Sa santé, ses choix" (transl.
[7] In March 2022, a 41-year-old auxiliary nurse was sentenced to 20 years of prison for providing a clandestine abortion that caused the death of a young woman in December 2016.