Pravno regulisanje prekida trudnoće u komparativnom pravu / Legal Regulation of the Termination of Pregnancy in Comparative Law

Abstract

This paper explores the legal regulations on the termination of pregnancy in comparative law, a sensitive topic that, although it does represent the exclusive domain of state regulation, encroaches into human rights as well. The basic research question is how selected modern democratic states legally regulate the issue of the termination of pregnancy. Hence, the research goal is to prove that the trend of modern democratic states is to allow the termination of pregnancy even on request, but also to determine the existence of recent retrograde trends in this area. In this paper and research, except for the comparative method, the analytic, dogmatic, normative, and axiological methods are utilized. Although the core of the research is comparative legal, the historic and international legal segments are presented in short in this paper. In researching the following selected states, BiH, Serbia, Croatia, Germany, USA and Ireland, it is determined that the termination of pregnancy is currently largely allowed even on the request of a pregnant woman, especially for justified reasons, with regards to a specific legal regime (Germany), a sudden shift in complete liberalization (Ireland), and even for retrograde changes towards absolute prohibition (USA). In the argument section, the right of the state to ban a medical procedure out of arbitrary reasons (at least in modern discourse) is considered (even disputed). The conclusion is, considering the practice and development of democratic states, the trend of allowing the termination of pregnancy in early stages on demand of a pregnant woman without a reason, and in later stages with a reason, is evident. Concerning the region, the situation is relative satisfactory, although in greater parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Croatia the outdated legislation needs innovations, as well as certain improvements, which at this point is inevitable.