The new ruling comes as part of the country’s efforts to support women’s rights… 

Women in the UAE no longer require their husband’s consent to undergo an emergency abortion, as of October 2023. The new legislation allows women to terminate their pregnancy after receiving a medical report that states that the mother’s or unborn child’s life is at risk.

According to The National, the new law also allows private licensed facilities in the UAE to conduct abortions.

Previously, the law only allowed women to have an abortion with the spouse’s consent, if that baby would be born with life-threatening conditions. Even then, abortions were only granted if the foetus was less than 120 days old.

Moreover, up until a few years ago, Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi was the only hospital permitted to perform the procedure.

This change comes as part of the UAE’s efforts to support women’s rights across the country.

More important updates…

Back in October, there were more huge updates including unmarried, non-Muslim couples can now have IVF treatment in the UAE, as well as the legalisation of surrogacy and egg-freezing in the UAE.

The new ruling states that non-Muslim individuals without a marriage certificate can now request permission from the health authority to start IVF, providing they agree to register the child under both their names.

One of the other changes is that it’s no longer illegal for couples to get help from another woman to carry their baby (use a surrogate).

The update also covers how embryos and eggs can be used. In the past, freezing embryos was not allowed in the UAE, but this is no longer the case. A sufficient number of eggs can now be fertilized and stored, for up to five years, for future use.

As of now, it is still against the law to use a sperm donor (who is not the husband) or an egg donor (who is not the wife).

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