Restrictions for one in four

Approximately one-quarter of the world's population lives in countries where abortion is banned outright or tightly restricted.

In Chile, Nicaragua and El Salvador, where the Catholic Church still holds huge sway, obtaining or performing an abortion is a criminal offence and can result in a prison sentence.

Elsewhere across huge swathes of South America, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, abortion is banned except when the woman has suffered rape or the pregnancy endangers her health or life.

In most of Western Europe abortion rights are well established: Ireland's ban on abortion except when the woman's life is in danger makes it an exception. In the US the pro-life movement is campaigning hard to tighten the rules.

- INDEPENDENT