Abortion in Iraq

Abortion in Iraq is illegal.^[1][2]

It is difficult to obtain sociological information about abortions in Iraq because women may be likely to lie about or misrepresent their history with the topic, due to its sensitive nature.^[3]

Legality

Administering or receiving abortions in Iraq is illegal. The legal penalty for either action is no more than a year of imprisonment and a fine. If a woman has an abortion due to shame this is a legally mitigating circumstance that may lessen the penalty.^[4]

Reasons for abortions

One doctor describes that some Iraqi women desire abortions because they believe their child would not live long, due to malnutrition or disease.^[5]

Instances of abortions increase due to lack of access to birth control. IUDs are a common method of birth control in Iraq, but increased in price following economic sanctions applied after the Gulf War.^[6]

Attitudes towards abortion

One study of 1302 women in Mosul found that 13.5% had induced an abortion in themselves. ^[7] Another study, of Iraqi Kurdistan found that 27.7% of women surveyed had had an abortion.^[8]

A majority of the surveyed women in Mosul had done so through physical exertion. Women who were more likely to induce abortions included those who were Christian rather than Muslim; Arab rather than Kurdish or Turkmen; urban rather than rural or suburban, women with unemployed rather than employed husbands; living in a nuclear family rather than a extended family; younger; educated; or not on contraceptives.^[9]

The survey in Iraqi Kurdistan found that women were more likely to have had an abortion if they were older, had more children, and less educated.^[10]

A majority of gynecologists in Iraqi Kurdistan in one study felt that women should not have the right to choose to induce an abortion; that induced abortion is murder; and that induced abortion should not be legal. 41% of the surveyed gynecologists believed that induced abortion is amoral. 97% reported that they willingly provide care to patients seeking medical assistance after an abortion, including those performed illegally.^[11]

Epidemiology

Some of the reported complications from unsafe abortions in Iraq include sepsis, incomplete abortion, and bleeding.^[12]