Western nations are classified by degree of liberalization of abortion laws. France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, and Albania permit abortion if it is the only means to save the mother's life. Switzerland (since 1968) and Belgium allow abortion for a proven medical indication. England (1967) and Denmark add the possibility of a malformed infant as a reason for abortion. Norway, Sweden, Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria include the medical, eugenic, and social indications. Tables were presented showing from .5-127 abortions per 100 births, and from 1.2-257 deaths per 100,000 abortions in different countries. The variable death rates are related to the gestational age and experience of operators in a given country. In view of possibly liberalizing the law in France, the opinions of practitioners, the need for contraception, and the social injustice of illegal abortion must be considered. The author hoped that science would solve the problem by inventing a safe luteolytic drug.