Abortion in Sudan

In Sudan, abortion is illegal except in cases of risk to life or pregnancy from rape. Legal abortions in the case of rape must be performed within 90 days of pregnancy and require police reports. Providers of illegal abortion are often imprisoned. Abortions are required to be performed by doctors, which limits access in areas with fewer doctors, while difficult requirements limit abortions in cases of rape. Most abortions in the country are illegal and unsafe. Illegal abortions are often performed by midwives or self-induced using traditional methods or abortion pills acquired on the black market. The country's high rate of unintended pregnancy and low rate of birth control contribute to abortions. Some women with extramarital pregnancies are encouraged by their families to have abortions. Post-abortion care is legally performed by doctors, but may be limited by documentation requirements and the threat of legal reports, which some providers intentionally avoid. The abortion debate does not commonly feature in public discourse in Sudan.

Sudan inherited the United Kingdom's abortion law in 1899, prohibiting abortions unless they were life-saving. This law existed until the Islamist government of Sudan enacted a new penal code under the Criminal Act 1991. This penal code was based on the Maliki school of Islamic law, with an emphasis on the Islamic law on prohibited sexual relations. The government participated in anti-abortion lobbying and boycotted the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development over its stance on abortion. Starting in 2010, the government addressed abortion prevention and post-abortion care amid goals to decrease maternal mortality. The Sudanese civil war (2023–present) involved wartime rape, which contributed to abortions.