Algeria
ABORTION POLICY
Grounds on which abortion is permitted
To save the life of the woman
To preserve physical health
To preserve mental health
Rape or incest
Foetal impairment
Economic or social reasons
Available on request
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Additional requirements
An abortion must be performed by a physician or surgeon in a specialized institution. Therapeutic abortions
must be performed before the foetus is viable.
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CONTEXT
Government view of fertility level:
Too high
Government intervention concerning fertility level:
To lower
Government policy on contraceptive use:
Direct support provided
Percentage of currently married* women using
modern contraception (aged 15-49, 1995):
52
Total fertility rate (1995-2000):
3.8
Age-specific fertility rate (per 1,000 women aged 15-19, 1995-2000):
25
Government has expressed particular concern about:
Morbidity and mortality resulting from induced abortion
Complications of childbearing and childbirth
..
Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births; 1990):
National
Northern Africa
160
340
Female life expectancy at birth (1995-2000):
70
* Ever married
Source: The Population Policy Data Bank maintained by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United
Nations Secretariat. For additional sources, see list of references.
22
Algeria
BACKGROUND
The Algerian Criminal Code of 8 June 1966 (Articles 304-313) prohibits abortion unless it is performed as
an indispensable measure to save the life of the mother. The Public Health Code of 1976 (Ordinance No. 7679 of 23 October 1976, Articles 28 and 414), however, specifies that abortion is lawful when performed before
foetal viability as an essential therapeutic measure to save the life of the mother or to safeguard her seriously
endangered health. The Law on the Protection and Promotion of Public Health (Act No. 85-05 of 16 February
1985, Article 72) liberalized abortion laws further by also permitting abortion to be performed as an essential
measure to preserve a woman's mental equilibrium when it is seriously jeopardized.
A woman inducing or agreeing to the inducement of her own abortion is subject to imprisonment for a
period of 6 to 24 months and a fine. The person who performs the abortion is subject to imprisonment for one
to five years and a fine. If that person is a medical practitioner, he or she can also be suspended from
practising his or her profession.
Legal abortions may only be performed by a physician or surgeon in a specialized institution, after a
medical consultation with a professional colleague (Public Health Code) and an examination carried out in
conjunction with a medical specialist (Law on the Protection and Promotion of Public Health). As stated
above, a therapeutic abortion must be performed before the foetus is viable.
A study of trends in maternal mortality in public sector institutions in Algeria found that the most
significant cause of maternal mortality was uterine perforation. It was estimated that about half of all uterine
perforations resulted from poorly performed illegal abortions.
Although the Algerian Government currently provides family planning services in all government maternal
and child health centres, it was not until the early 1980s that it officially endorsed family planning and ensured
that the services would be available to the entire population. All health care, including contraception, is
provided free of charge in public health facilities. Oral contraceptives are available at pharmacies by
prescription.
Source: The Population Policy Data Bank maintained by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United
Nations Secretariat. For additional sources, see list of references.
23