Question
I'm 24 years old and I'm not married. I live in the United Arab Emirates and abortion is illegal here. I don't have a
lot of money and I just found out I'm pregnant! My boyfriend says that he'll marry me, but I want to finish my studies
before I start a family. I need to have an abortion - is there anything that I can do? My last period was six weeks ago.
Response
Medication abortion regimens can be used by many women to terminate a
pregnancy through nine weeks LMP. Information about the three medication
abortion regimens, including eligibility requirements,
contraindications, side effects, and complications, is available on this
website.
In the UAE, induced abortion is legally restricted to cases
in which an abortion is necessary to save the woman's life. This
may be interpreted differently by different providers,
particularly in the private sector. Mifepristone is not
registered or available in the UAE but misoprostol is available
in many hospitals and clinics and is
sometimes available in retail pharmacies.
Some women from the UAE who have the financial resources
choose to travel to other countries, both in the Middle East (Tunisia,
Turkey) and in other regions (Europe, the United States), to
obtain abortion care. Internationally, there are a number of organizations
that are available to help women access safe, affordable
medication abortion services, including Women on Web,
and
the International Consortium for Medical Abortion.
