Most abortion laws in the Arab world are punitive or very restrictive, and their effect on women’s health is largely understudied. Conducting research on this sensitive topic is difficult in a context where abortion remains largely criminalized and is considered a religious sin, morally wrong, and socially stigmatizing.
The chapter begins with a state of the art of the existing literature on abortion in the Arab countries and its limitations. It then investigates the various logics affecting abortion legislations and how the organization of health care systems and the impact of neoliberal economic reforms determine women’s access (or lack thereof) to abortion services, be they legal or not. In the last part, it examines attitudes and discourses of health care providers and women seeking abortion care in relation with their socioeconomic status, education and religious and moral orientations.