FAQ Abortion

This document answers eight questions about Dutch policy on abortion. Abortus (arte) provocatus (abortion) is the medical expression for deliberate termination of pregnancy before childbirth. It is listed as an offence in the Dutch Criminal Code, but the doctor performing the procedure will not be prosecuted if the woman says that her pregnancy has put her in a difficult position. The woman decides for herself whether her position is so serious that it warrants an abortion. It was a deliberate decision not to include criteria relating to this position in the Termination of Pregnancy Act.