abortion is illegal except to save a womans life in arab countries and abortion is legal to save a womans life or preserve her physical and mental health in eight only in tunisia is abortion legally available without restriction according to the world health organization who in the six countries of north africa alone nearly million unsafe abortions were performed in complications from these abortions accounted for percent of maternal deaths in the subregion the unavailability of legal abortion puts the weight of the state behind the existing dissonance between later marriage and the taboo on premarital sexual activity the disconnect is especially notable in countries such as lebanon and libya where the highest marriage ages combine with the strictest positions on abortion