بنين

Abortion Laws and Policies

Overview

Abortion on request is not authorized.
It is permitted for Economic or social reasons and in in cases of rape, incest, fetal impairment or if the pregnancy endangers the woman or person's life or their mental or physical health. No limitation regarding the lengths of pregnancy is mentioned in the legal text.

Minors are required to obtain parental or adult consent for an abortion.

Abortion providers and people who assists may be criminalized if they perform an abortion outside of the conditions specified in the law.

Claim your rights

Access to abortion is a fundamental human right and a basic healthcare need. If you live in a country with restrictions to abortion access, you can visit Women on Web to request abortion pills or learn more about the local support and resources available in your country.

About Abortion Pills

An abortion with pills is a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy at home. There are two ways to have an abortion with pills:

Have an abortion with a pill called Mifepristone and another pill called Misoprostol;
Have an abortion with the pill Misoprostol only.

You already have abortion pills? Find instructions, information around dosage, safety precautions and tips here.

Mifepristone

Mifepristone is officially registered by the country’s pharmaceutical authority.

There is currently no data available on whether or not a prescription is needed to get Mifepristone.

There is no data on regulations around the distribution of Mifepristone available.

Misoprostol

Misoprostol is registered

It is registered for gynecological indications (such as birth, miscarriage treatment or abortion care etc.)

There is currently no data available on whether or not a prescription is needed to get Misoprostol.

There is no data on regulations around the distribution of Misoprostol available.

These are brand names under which Mifepristone, Misoprostol or Combi Packs (that contain both abortion pills Mifepristone and Misoprostol) are officially distributed and/or commonly found in the country.

Brand names

Misoprostol:
Avertiso, 200 mcg (Acme Formulations (Pvt) Ltd, India)
Artotec 50 or 75, 200 mcg **contains Diclofenac (PFIZER AFRIQUE DE L' OUEST)

Combipack:
Mifeso, 1 Mifepristone 200 mg, 4 Misoprostol 200 mcg (Acme Formulations (Pvt) Ltd, India) (appears in national register)
registration status unknown:
Mifepack, 1 Mifepristone 200 mg, 4 Misoprostol 200 mcg (Naari Pharma Pvt Ltd)
Miso-Fem, 200 mcg, (Naari Pharma Pvt Ltd)
Ace Miso, 200 mcg, (Acme Formulations (Pvt) Ltd, India)
Cytotec, 200 mcg (Pfizer Ltd)

Safety notice
There are pills that contain a combination of Misoprostol and the painkiller Diclofenac. While manufactured for a different purpose they can still be used for abortion. Specific instructions need to be followed to avoid overdosing the Diclofenac.

Local Organizations and Resources

No local organizations.

Community Comments

No comments.

Scams

Watch out for fake abortion clinics and sellers online. See or contribute to our list of scams & stay safe!

Other Databases and Sources

These are the sources and databases used to gather the information listed on this country profile.

10.12.2022/WHO, Global Abortion Policies Database: https://abortion-policies.srhr.org/country/benin/
30.09.2022/Medical Abortion Commodities Database: https://medab.org/search?field_brand_name_target_id=All&field_country_of_sale_target_id=171
30.09.2022/safe2choose: https://safe2choose.org/abortion-information/countries/benin
30.09.2022/howtouseabortionpill: https://www.howtouseabortionpill.org/abortion-laws-by-country/benin/
30.09.2022/Gynuity Map Mifepristone: https://gynuity.org/assets/resources/biblio_ref_lst_mife_en.pdf
30.09.2022/National Medicine Authority: https://sante.gouv.bj/
30.09.2022/National Medicine Databank: https://www.abrp.bj/medicamentsautorises.php
10.12.2022/Reproductive Rights Map: https://reproductiverights.org/maps/worlds-abortion-laws/?country=BEN
10.12.2022/Global Map of Norms regarding Conscientious Objection: https://www.redaas.org.ar/conscientious-objection-map