Abortion is permitted in Thailand for up to 20 weeks

The maximum number of weeks an abortion can be performed in Thailand has been increased from 12 to 20. The new legislation won’t take effect until September 26, 2018, exactly one month after the Ministry of Public Health makes its notification about it in the Royal Gazette, which was released on September 26.

Women who are pregnant in Thailand now have the legal right to terminate their pregnancies up to 20 weeks into the pregnancy, provided that they contact a medical professional before performing the procedure. Before medically authorizing the abortion, the physician will provide the patient with all of the facts that will assist them in making their own choice about whether or not to terminate the pregnancy.

Abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy was approved for legalization by the Thai Parliament in January of the previous year (up to 12 weeks). Despite this, women who aborted pregnancies after 12 weeks and did not satisfy the requirements established by the country’s Medical Council continued to be subject to criminal penalties in the country.

In a similar vein, any person or clinic that was found to offer abortions after the limit of 12 weeks would be subject to monetary fines and maybe jail time.

Abortions performed on pregnancies that are older than 20 weeks will continue to be subject to the criminal sanctions that are currently in place.