Maputo Protocol at 20: Progress on Abortion Rights in Africa

Twenty years ago, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa—known as the Maputo Protocol—made history as the first legally binding international human rights instrument to explicitly guarantee the right to legal abortion in cases of sexual assault, rape and incest; when the pregnant person’s life or physical or mental health is at risk; and for certain fetal diagnoses.

This Center report details the level of compliance for each of the 55 African states.