What the Article on Illegal Abortion Covers
Article 133 of the Criminal Code of Georgia covers illegal abortion — the performance of an abortion in violation of the procedure established by law. The legislation regulates abortion by separate medical and legal rules: they define where, within which terms and by whom it may be performed. Violation of these rules — performance in non-medical conditions, by an unsuitable person or within impermissible terms — is precisely the target of this article. The article simultaneously protects the health and life of the pregnant woman: the penalty rises sharply where the abortion is followed by permanent infertility, another grave consequence or the patient’s death.
In practice, such cases often begin against the backdrop of a complication: the patient applies to a hospital with a complication, it is established that the intervention was performed in unsanctioned conditions, and the investigation quickly turns into a charge. The accused’s position here is especially difficult, because the case combines medical and criminal aspects and requires, within the legal frame, a detailed analysis of medical documentation.