Benin

In Benin, abortion is legal on request for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if it would prevent harm to the pregnant person's general well-being. It is also legal up to 12 weeks in cases of rape and incest. Unsafe abortion is common, particularly with adolescents, as the law requires those under the age of the majority to ask her legal representative to request an abortion through a social worker, who refers her to a facility which may provide an abortion with the legal guardian's consent. Unsafe abortion is a major cause of Benin's high maternal mortality rate.