# Abortion in Belize > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Abortion_in_Belize > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Abortion_in_Belize.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Belize > Source revision: 1345799963 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Abortion in Belize** is restricted by criminal law, but permitted under certain conditions. ## Statistics As of 2017, the most recent statistics available regarding [abortion](/source/Abortion) in [Belize](/source/Belize) are from 1996.[1] During that year, 2,603 abortions were reported, along with 6,678 live births.[2] 5% of hospitalizations were due to abortion during that year, making it the fourth highest cause of hospitalization.[2] Due to legal restrictions against abortion, as well as its significant financial cost, illegal abortions are common in Belize, especially for low-income women.[3] In 1998, an estimated one in seven maternal deaths in Belize were due to [unsafe, illegal abortions](/source/Unsafe_abortion).[4] ## Legal status Abortion in Belize is governed by sections 108–110 of the Criminal Code (enacted December 1980). Abortion is considered a criminal offense except when performed by a registered medical practitioner under certain conditions. The sentence for performing an illegal abortion in Belize is life imprisonment.[5] Abortion is permitted under the following circumstances:[5] - To protect the life of the mother - To protect the physical or mental health of the mother or any existing children of her family - If there is substantial risk that the child will be severely handicapped In addition, the law states that "account may be taken of the pregnant woman's actual or reasonably foreseeable environment", suggesting that abortions can be performed on socioeconomic grounds.[5] Belize does not provide an explicit exception for pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest.[5] ## See also - [Reproductive rights in Latin America](/source/Reproductive_rights_in_Latin_America) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Johnston, William Robert (24 February 2017). ["Historical Abortion Statistics, Belize"](http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-belize.html). *Johnston's Archive*. Retrieved 27 November 2017. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-WHO_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-WHO_2-1) [*Health in the Americas*](https://archive.org/details/healthinamericas0001unse/page/82) (1998 ed.). World Health Organization. 1998. p. [82](https://archive.org/details/healthinamericas0001unse/page/82). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9275115699](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9275115699). Retrieved 27 February 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Illegal abortions: rising threat to Belizean women"](http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/15069). *News 5*. Great Belize Television. 6 June 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Government of Belize Must Address Lack of Legal Rights for Informal Relationships, Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee Told"](https://www.un.org/press/en/1999/19990614.wom1135.html) (Press release). United Nations. 14 June 1999. Retrieved 27 February 2015. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ESA_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ESA_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ESA_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-ESA_5-3) ["Abortion Policy: Belize"](https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/abortion/doc/belize1.doc). *The Population Policy Data Bank*. Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. Retrieved 27 February 2015. v t e Abortion in North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands v t e Abortion Main topics Definitions History Methods Abortion debate Philosophical aspects Abortion law Movements Abortion-rights movements Anti-abortion movements Issues Abortion and mental health Beginning of human personhood Beginning of pregnancy controversy Abortion-breast cancer hypothesis Anti-abortion violence Abortion under communism Birth control Crisis pregnancy center Ethical aspects of abortion Eugenics Forced abortion Genetics and abortion Late-term abortion Legal protection of access Legalized abortion and crime effect Libertarian perspectives on abortion Limit of viability Live births following abortion attempts Malthusianism Men's rights Minors and abortion Misinformation related to abortion Natalism One-child policy Paternal rights and abortion Post-abortion care Prenatal development Prenatal rights Reproductive rights Self-induced abortion Sex-selective abortion Sidewalk counseling Societal attitudes towards abortion Socialism Termination for medical reasons Toxic abortion Unsafe abortion Women's rights By country Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Asia Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Hong Kong Cyprus Georgia India Iran Israel Japan Kazakhstan North Korea South Korea Laos Lebanon Malaysia Nepal Northern Cyprus Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Taiwan Timor-Leste Turkey United Arab Emirates Vietnam Yemen Europe Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom North America Bahamas Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama Trinidad and Tobago United States Oceania Australia Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands New Zealand Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu South America Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Law Case law Constitutional law History of abortion law Laws by country Buffer zones Conscientious objection Fetal protection Six-week bans Informed consent Late-term restrictions Parental involvement Spousal consent Methods Vacuum aspiration Dilation and evacuation Dilation and curettage Intact D&X Hysterotomy Instillation Menstrual extraction Medical abortion Abortifacient drugs Methotrexate Mifepristone Misoprostol Oxytocin Self-induced abortion Unsafe abortion Religion Buddhism Christianity Catholicism Hinduism Islam Judaism Scientology Category --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Abortion in Belize](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Belize) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Belize?action=history)). 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