We’ve watched 48 nations come together in the largest soccer tournament in history, the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While countries around the globe celebrate the incredible athletic achievements displayed on the field, the World Cup also provides an opportunity to reflect on the values and priorities that shape each nation.
We see a big contrast beyond the field: The United States is far behind many countries when it comes to protecting babies from abortion. (You’ll be surprised at how we rank.)
A few World Cup competitors have some of the strongest laws in the world defending preborn children: Brazil, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Haiti and more.
- Abortion is illegal in these nations except in extremely limited circumstances, like when the mother’s life is at risk or in serious medical emergencies.
- (However, it’s worth noting that some of these countries are hostile to human rights in other ways.)
Most nations competing in the World Cup protect babies from abortion when they’re developed enough to survive outside the womb (viability).
- France, Germany, Japan, and England all allow abortion early in pregnancy and only recognize the child’s Right to Life in the late second or early third trimesters.
- France defends babies at around 16 weeks into pregnancy, or when the baby’s heart has been beating for 13 weeks.
The United States falls into the most extreme camp of all: Countries with little to no national restrictions on abortion. Federally, we allow babies to be killed up to the moment of birth. Canada, South Korea, Mexico, and Australia are the only other World Cup countries that share this policy. Yet, even in Mexico the vast majority of its states protect preborn babies after 12 weeks in pregnancy, when the child has detectable brain waves.
Strong bans: Senegal, Algeria, Haiti, Paraguay, Brazil, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Ecuador, Ivory Coast
Ban at 12 weeks or earlier: Saudi Arabia, Austria, Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), Switzerland Tunisia, Türkiye, Uruguay, Croatia, Czechia
Ban between 13 and 30 weeks: Argentina, England (United Kingdom), Netherlands (Curaçao), Scotland (United Kingdom), Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Panama, Qatar, Iran, South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Uzbekistan, Portugal, Colombia, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Netherlands
Minimal ban after 30 weeks to no federal ban: United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico (varies), South Korea
The contrast raises an important question: Why is the United States so behind?
America has long considered itself a guardian of human rights. But today, about one in three children is killed through abortion each year in our country.
The World Cup brings nations together in a celebration of identity and achievement. However, a nation’s character is not only reflected in its accomplishments, but in how it treats its most vulnerable members.
The world is watching more than a game. It is watching what nations value. If America hopes to lead, it must align its laws with the truth that every human life has worth–including babies in the womb.
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