Abortion in Timor-Leste is only legal if the abortion will save the woman's life, overall health, and if her pregnancy was caused by rape, an exception made by Parliament in 2009.
[1] Women's groups and NGOs have been advocating for abortion laws to include instances of incest and child endangerment.
[2] In Timor-Leste, any abortion approved to preserve the woman's health requires consent from three physicians.
[1] All other abortions are criminal offenses, and the person who performs the abortion as well as the pregnant woman face up to three years of imprisonment.
[3] Abortion law in Timor-Leste is based on the abortion law of Indonesia which ruled East Timor between 1976 and 1999 and which has been updated since independence in 2002.