Abortion in Guinea

In Guinea, abortion is illegal unless the pregnancy poses a threat to the life or health of the pregnant woman or fetus, if it resulted from rape, or if the pregnant woman is a minor. Illegal abortions are punishable by fines and prison. Legal abortions require approval from doctors in the case of therapeutic abortion or ethics committees in the case of abortion from rape. Initially inheriting France's abortion law, fully banning abortion, a 2000 reproductive health law added exceptions. Women's rights activists and journalists have advocated for reform, while Islamic opposition to abortion is common.

Guinea has a high rate of unsafe abortion. The country's use of contraceptives is low, which contributes to unwanted pregnancies and abortions, especially among adolescents. Lack of access to emergency contraception in cases of sexual violence is a frequent cause of abortion. Post-abortion care has been available in Guinea since the 1990s. It is available at public facilities across the country, but fewer providers exist than required by law. Nearly all of these facilities use the manual vacuum aspiration method, and most offer post-abortion family planning.

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