| Causes | 1994 | 2003 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Without restriction | Barbados | French Guyana | Barbados | French Guyana |
| Cuba | Martinique | Cuba | Martinique | |
| Guadeloupe | Puerto Rico | Guadeloupe | Puerto Rico | |
| Saint Martin | Guyana | Saint Martin | ||
| Totally prohibited | Chile | Dominican Republic | Chile | Honduras |
| Colombia | Sint Maarten (Dutch Antilles) | Colombia*** | Dominican Republic | |
| Honduras | El Salvador | Sint Maarten (Dutch Antilles) | ||
| To save the life of the woman | Antigua and Barbuda | Jamaica | Anguilla | Jamaica |
| Argentina | Mexico | Antigua and Barbuda | Mexico | |
| Bahamas | Nicaragua | Argentina | Nicaragua**** | |
| Belize | Panama | Bahamas | Panama | |
| Bolivia | Paraguay | Belize | Paraguay | |
| Brazil | Peru | Bolivia | Peru | |
| Costa Rica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Brazil | Saint Kitts and Nevis | |
| Dominica | Sainte Lucia | Costa Rica | Sainte Lucia | |
| Ecuador | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Dominica | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | |
| El Salvador | Surinam | Ecuador | Surinam | |
| Grenada | Trinidad and Tobago | Grenada | Uruguay***** | |
| Guatemala | Uruguay***** | Guatemala | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Guyana | Venezuela | Haiti | Venezuela | |
| Haiti | Cayman Islands | |||
| To preserve physical or mental health of the woman | Argentina | Jamaica | Anguilla | Jamaica |
| Bahamas | Panama | Antigua and Barbuda | Mexico | |
| Belize | Peru | Bahamas | Nicaragua**** | |
| Bolivia | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Belize | Peru | |
| Costa Rica | Sainte Lucia | Bolivia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | |
| Ecuador | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Costa Rica | Sainte Lucia | |
| Grenada | Trinidad and Tobago | Ecuador | Saint Kitts and Nevis | |
| Guyana | Uruguay***** | Grenada | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Uruguay***** | ||||
| In case of rape | Argentina* | Mexico** | Argentina* | Mexico** |
| Brazil | Panama | Brazil | Nicaragua**** | |
| Bolivia** | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Bolivia** | Panama** | |
| Ecuador** | Uruguay***** | Ecuador* | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines** | |
| Uruguay***** | ||||
| In case of malformations of fetus | Belize | Mexico | Anguilla | Nicaragua**** |
| Panama | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Belize | Panama | |
| Brazil | Trinidad and Tobago | |||
| Mexico | ||||
| For socio-economic reasons | Uruguay***** | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Uruguay***** | |
Source: worked out from:
United Nations (1994; 1999; 2001; 2002), Rayas, (2004) and others documents and communications sent by Latin-American colleagues, mentioned in the text
* It is only allowed in the case of rape when the woman is mentally retarded or suffers from insanity (United Nations, 2002).
** For incest, in addition to the rape.
*** In 2006, this country authorizes the abortion to save the life or for reasons of the health of the woman, in case of rape or malformations of the fetus.
**** In this country, the penal code allows the abortion for « therapeutic reasons » without defining clearly the specific circumstances. The analysis of the requests for therapeutic abortion in some hospitals include the reasons mentioned in this table, although it is considered that it represents a very small proportion (Ipas Central America, personal communication, 2005).
***** In Uruguay, these causes are allowed like exceptions or attenuating circumstances.