Abortion in Cambodia

Abortion in Cambodia is legal upon request within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.^[1]

After twelve weeks, abortions are only legal in Cambodia when they will save the woman's life or preserve her health, the pregnancy is a result of rape, or the child may be born with an incurable disease.^[1] In any of these instances, at least two medical personnel must approve the abortion.^[1]

As of 2023, Medabon (a combination therapy containing two medicines called mifepristone and misoprosto) is the only available product for inducing medical abortion in Cambodia. Registered in Cambodia in 2010, it is available at pharmacies and limited number of clinical practices.^[2]

The Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey 2014^[3] reported that 12% of women have had at least one abortion in their lifetime. 60% of abortions are surgical, while 40% used medications. Of the medical abortions, 61% occurred under the care of a healthcare provider and the remainder reported no assistance or no involvement of a provider.

One study following 2,083 Cambodian women found that use of over-the-counter abortion medication was as effective and safe as abortion medication administered in a clinical setting. Despite this, there are still many barriers to accessing abortion in Cambodia, increasing stigma and driving individuals towards less safe abortions.^[4]

^ ^a ^b ^c "Cambodia". Abortion Policies: A Global Review (DOC). Vol. Country Profiles. United Nations Population Division. 2002. Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
^ Petitet, Pascale Hancart; Ith, Leakhena; Cockroft, Melissa; Delvaux, Thérèse (December 2014). "Towards safe abortion access: an exploratory study of medical abortion in Cambodia". Reproductive Health Matters. 22 (sup44): 47–55. doi:10.1016/S0968-8080(14)43826-6. ISSN 0968-8080. PMID 25702068. S2CID 5323421. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
^ Statistics/Cambodia, National Institute of; Health/Cambodia, Directorate General for; International, I. C. F. (2015-09-01). "Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey 2014". Archived from the original on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
^ Kapp, Nathalie; Mao, Bunsoth; Menzel, Jamie; Eckersberger, Elisabeth; Saphonn, Vonthanak; Rathavy, Tung; Pearson, Erin (2023-03-09). "A prospective, comparative study of clinical outcomes following clinic-based versus self-use of medical abortion". BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health. 49 (4): bmjsrh–2022–201722. doi:10.1136/bmjsrh-2022-201722. ISSN 2515-1991. PMC 10579469. PMID 36894309.

[UN-1] "Cambodia". Abortion Policies: A Global Review (DOC). Vol. Country Profiles. United Nations Population Division. 2002. Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2017.

[2] Petitet, Pascale Hancart; Ith, Leakhena; Cockroft, Melissa; Delvaux, Thérèse (December 2014). "Towards safe abortion access: an exploratory study of medical abortion in Cambodia". Reproductive Health Matters. 22 (sup44): 47–55. doi:10.1016/S0968-8080(14)43826-6. ISSN 0968-8080. PMID 25702068. S2CID 5323421. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-10-25.

[3] Statistics/Cambodia, National Institute of; Health/Cambodia, Directorate General for; International, I. C. F. (2015-09-01). "Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey 2014". Archived from the original on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2023-10-25.

[4] Kapp, Nathalie; Mao, Bunsoth; Menzel, Jamie; Eckersberger, Elisabeth; Saphonn, Vonthanak; Rathavy, Tung; Pearson, Erin (2023-03-09). "A prospective, comparative study of clinical outcomes following clinic-based versus self-use of medical abortion". BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health. 49 (4): bmjsrh–2022–201722. doi:10.1136/bmjsrh-2022-201722. ISSN 2515-1991. PMC 10579469. PMID 36894309.

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