Article I, Section 12 of the Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands states that "The abortion of the unborn child during the mother's pregnancy is prohibited in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, except as provided by law".
Instead, Northern Mariana Islands criminal law states that performing an abortion is a crime punishable by up to five years imprisonment.
[2] During the 1990s women who wanted to get an abortion often travelled to the Philippines as there were no legal options in the Marianas under the aforementioned constitution.
Abortion in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory, is illegal per title 11 of the Trust Territory Code, under section 51, which states:Every person who shall unlawfully cause the miscarriage or premature delivery of a woman, with the intent to do so, shall be guilty of abortion and upon conviction thereof shall be imprisoned for a period of not more than five years.
[10] In 1998, the only reason an abortion would be eligible for public funding was if it was a result of rape or incest, or if continuing the pregnancy would endanger the life of the woman.