[9] Following the issue of the Medical Liability Law signed by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan clarifying the circumstances in which abortions were allowed, the number began to increase, averaging at about 25 abortions per year in Corniche Hospital Abu Dhabi from 2013 to 2015.
[11]: 6 Abortion is defined as an any act that may lead to the death of a foetus or its exit from the womb before the natural date of birth.
[14] Unwanted pregnancies have led to women in the UAE illegally procuring abortions or abandoning babies.
[15] A 2011 report by Gulf News found that the illegality and inaccessibility of abortion resulted in women purchasing cheap ulcer medication to end unwanted pregnancies.
[16] In an interview with a Filipino expatriate who sold such pills, she stated that demand for the tablets had grown due to social and moral values shifting while laws had not.
The demand for such pills were attributed to article 356 of the UAE Penal Code enforcing imprisonment and then deportation to mothers of children born out of wedlock.
[17][18] In October 2023, a legislation change allowed women to undergo abortions without spousal consent and permitted private licensed clinics to perform the procedure.