You found out you are pregnant and you do not think you can keep the baby. The question you are asking is the one most people type into search: is abortion legal in Pakistan?
The short answer: abortion is legal in Pakistan only in narrow situations. The main one is saving the life of the woman. Everything else is a criminal offence under the Pakistan Penal Code. Here is what the law actually says, section by section.
What does the law actually say?
The abortion rules sit in the Pakistan Penal Code, sections 338 to 338-C. These sections came into the code through the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 1997, which rewrote the old provisions on miscarriage.
Section 338 talks about isqat-i-hamal. That is the legal term for ending a pregnancy before the child's organs have formed. The section says a person who causes this is said to cause isqat-i-hamal, unless the act was done in good faith to save the life of the woman or to give her necessary treatment.
Two phrases in that sentence carry the whole law: good faith, and necessary treatment. If a doctor acts honestly to protect the woman's life or her health in early pregnancy, the law leaves room. Outside that, the act is an offence.
Section 338-B covers isqat-i-janin. That is the term used once the child's limbs or organs have formed. Here the exception is narrower. Only saving the life of the woman counts. The necessary treatment door from section 338 is not repeated here.
What is the punishment?
Punishment depends on the stage of pregnancy and on consent.
For isqat-i-hamal, section 338-A sets two punishments:
- up to three years in prison if the woman consented;
- up to ten years if she did not.
If the woman is hurt or dies as a result, the person also faces punishment for that hurt or death.
For isqat-i-janin, section 338-C works with diyat. Diyat is the compensation fixed by law, set at not less than the value of 30,630 grams of silver. The punishment is:
- one twentieth of the diyat if the child is born dead;
- full diyat if the child is born alive and dies because of the act;
- up to seven years in prison as ta'zir, which means punishment decided by the court.
And the woman herself is not outside the law. The explanation to section 338 says a woman who causes her own miscarriage comes within the section. In plain words, she can be prosecuted too.
Is there an exception for rape or a damaged baby?
No. The Penal Code lists no exception for rape, incest, or a baby with a serious defect. The only door in the statute is good faith to save the woman's life, and, early in pregnancy, necessary treatment for her. Nothing else.
That does not stop abortions from happening. It pushes them underground.
What happens in real life?
The numbers below come from the Guttmacher Institute and the Population Council, published in the BMJ Global Health journal in 2025.
An estimated 3.8 million abortions took place in Pakistan in 2023. Around 698,000 women received treatment for complications of abortion that year. Complications of abortion and miscarriage contribute to roughly 10 percent of maternal deaths in Pakistan, which has a maternal mortality ratio of 186 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The law is restrictive, and the reality is far from it. Since the early 2000s, medication abortion with misoprostol has spread, and pharmacies have become a common source. The annual number of abortions rose 56 percent between 2012 and 2023. The study's own conclusion puts it plainly: women are relying on abortion more, not less, to space or limit births.
What should you do if you are in this situation?
First, talk to a qualified doctor. Do not take medicines bought from unlicensed sellers. Misoprostol taken wrongly can cause heavy bleeding and serious harm.
Second, know your legal position before you act. The safest reading of the law is this: an abortion is defensible only in good faith, for the life or health of the woman, decided together with a doctor.
Third, if a criminal case gets registered against you, get a lawyer immediately. The first paper in any criminal case is the FIR, and you can check an FIR online in Pakistan. If the case reaches court, you can track a court case online to keep an eye on where it stands.
This is a hard area of law, and feelings run strong on every side. This post is not here to tell you what to do. It is here to tell you what the law says, so you can decide with open eyes. For more plain language explainers on Pakistani law, browse the Lexiber blog or visit Lexiber. If the question is marriage instead of pregnancy, read whether is cousin marriage legal in Pakistan. And if the nikah is done and you need the computerised record, read how to get a marriage certificate from NADRA in Pakistan.
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