In short: Guatemala’s Código Penal (Decreto 17-73) treats abortion as a crime in Articles 133 to 140. The Code states one situation that is not punishable, Article 137, “Aborto terapéutico”: a doctor, with the woman’s consent, after a favourable prior diagnosis from at least one other doctor, acting only to avoid a duly established danger to the mother’s life, after all scientific and technical means are exhausted. The penalties below are the ones the articles print. This page reports statute text only. It is not legal or medical advice and it does not describe any service.
A one-word answer leaves out the conditions, and the conditions are the law. The Code’s own sentences are short enough to read in full, so this page quotes them.
The eight articles, in the Code’s own order
All eight sit in Libro Segundo, Título I, Capítulo III, “Del aborto” of the Código Penal. The Spanish text below is copied from the Code; the English under each one is our plain-language reading, not an official translation.
| Article | Heading in the Code | What it covers | Penalty it sets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 133 | Concepto | Definition of abortion | — |
| 134 | Aborto procurado | The woman who causes or consents to her own abortion | 1 to 3 years’ prison; 6 months to 2 years in the psychological-alteration case |
| 135 | Aborto con o sin consentimiento | Anyone who causes an abortion on purpose | 1 to 3 years with consent; 3 to 6 years without; 4 to 8 years with violence, threat or deception |
| 136 | Aborto calificado | The woman dies as a result | 3 to 8 years (consented); 4 to 12 years (not consented) |
| 137 | Aborto terapéutico | The one stated exception | Not punishable, if every condition is met |
| 138 | Aborto preterintencional | Violence that causes an abortion without intending it, knowing of the pregnancy | 1 to 3 years; a heavier injury penalty applies increased by a third |
| 139 | Tentativa y aborto culposo | Attempt by the woman; negligent abortion | Woman’s attempt and her own negligent abortion not punishable; another person’s negligent abortion 1 to 3 years if they knew of the pregnancy |
| 140 | Agravación específica | Doctors and health practitioners | Art. 135 penalties + fine of Q500 to Q3,000 + 2 to 5 years’ disqualification |
Article 133: the definition
“Aborto es la muerte del producto de la concepción en cualquier momento de la preñez.”
The definition covers any moment of the pregnancy. It sets no week threshold.
Article 134: the woman
“La mujer que causare su aborto o consintiere que otra persona se lo cause, será sancionada con prisión de uno a tres años. Si lo hiciere impulsada por motivos que, ligados íntimamente a su estado, le produzcan indudable alteración psíquica, la sanción será de seis meses a dos años de prisión.”
Two penalty bands: one to three years, or six months to two years where the motives, closely tied to her condition, cause her an undoubted psychological alteration.
Article 135: anyone who causes an abortion on purpose
“Quien, de propósito causare un aborto, será sancionado: 1o. Con prisión de uno a tres años, si la mujer lo consintiere. 2o. Con prisión de tres a seis años, si obrare sin consentimiento de la mujer.”
The article then adds: “Si se hubiere empleado violencia, amenaza o engaño, la pena será de cuatro a ocho años de prisión.” That is four to eight years where violence, threat or deception was used.
Article 136: when the woman dies
“Si a consecuencia del aborto consentido o de la maniobras abortivas consentidas, resultare la muerte de la mujer, el responsable será sancionado con prisión de tres a ocho años.”
Where the abortion or the procedures were carried out without her consent and she dies, the same article sets four to twelve years.
Article 137: the therapeutic exception, exactly as written
“No es punible el aborto practicado por un médico, con el consentimiento de la mujer, previo diagnóstico favorable de por lo menos otro médico; si se realizó sin la intención de procurar directamente la muerte del producto de la concepción y con el solo fin de evitar un peligro, debidamente establecido, para la vida de la madre, después de agotados todos los medios científicos y técnicos.”
The sentence carries six conditions, and the article states them together:
- It is performed by a doctor (un médico).
- With the woman’s consent.
- After a favourable prior diagnosis from at least one other doctor.
- Without the intention of directly causing the death of the product of conception.
- With the sole purpose of avoiding a danger to the mother’s life, and that danger must be duly established.
- After all scientific and technical means have been exhausted.
What the article names is a danger to the life of the mother. It does not name her health in general, and it does not name rape, incest or foetal conditions. We are reporting the words of the article; we are not saying how a court or a hospital applies them.
What the article does not set, in the two copies of the Code we read: a form, a register, a deadline, or an authority that receives the second doctor’s diagnosis.
Article 138: violence that causes an abortion
“Quien, por actos de violencia ocasionare el aborto, sin propósito de causarlo, pero constándole el estado de embarazo de la ofendida, será sancionado con prisión de uno a tres años.”
If the violent acts amount to injuries with a heavier penalty, the article applies that heavier penalty increased by a third.
Article 139: attempt and negligence
“La tentativa de la mujer para causar su propio aborto y el aborto culposo propio, son impunes.”
The second paragraph reads: “El aborto culposo verificado por otra persona, será sancionado con prisión de uno a tres años, siempre que tal persona tenga conocimiento previo del embarazo.” A negligent abortion caused by another person is punishable only if that person knew beforehand of the pregnancy.
Article 140: doctors and health practitioners
“El médico que, abusando de su profesión causare el aborto o cooperare en él, será sancionado con las penas señaladas en el Artículo 135, con multa de quinientos a tres mil quetzales, con inhabilitación para el ejercicio de su profesión de dos a cinco años.”
Its second paragraph extends the same sanctions, where relevant, “a los practicantes o personas con título sanitario”, without prejudice to the rules on concurrent offences.
How current is this text?
We read the articles in two copies of the Código Penal:
- the OAS-hosted copy, which is not a consolidated text (it still prints old versions of other articles, such as Art. 157 on drunk driving, that Decreto 45-2016 later replaced); and
- a reform-annotated copy uploaded in October 2024, which marks each reformed article with a REFORMADO por… note. In that copy, Arts. 133 to 140 carry no reform note, and their wording matches the OAS copy.
That is the check we ran. It is not a certificate from Congress. The Code is issued by the Congreso de la República.
What this page does not do
It does not give legal advice, medical advice, or any information about obtaining a procedure, and it states no opinion. Where the statute is silent, we have said which articles we read. For the text of the law, the Code itself is the source.
Sources
- Código Penal, Decreto 17-73, OAS-hosted copy, Arts. 133 to 140 —
https://www.oas.org/dil/esp/Codigo_Penal_Guatemala.pdf, retrieved 2026-09-25. - Código Penal, Decreto 17-73, reform-annotated consolidated copy (Berger Pemueller, uploaded 2024-10), Arts. 133 to 140 —
https://bergerpemueller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ley-CODIGO-PENAL-DECRETO-17-73-30-08_1973.pdf, retrieved 2026-09-25.
General information about the text of Guatemalan law as read on 2026-09-25. Not legal or medical advice. En español: ¿Es legal el aborto en Guatemala?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is abortion legal in Guatemala?
The Código Penal, Decreto 17-73, treats abortion as a crime. Book Two, Title I (crimes against life and personal integrity), Chapter III (Arts. 133 to 140) defines abortion, sets prison terms for the woman who causes or consents to her own abortion (Art. 134) and for anyone who causes one on purpose (Art. 135), and states one situation that is not punishable: the therapeutic abortion of Art. 137. We checked the article texts in a reform-annotated 2024 copy of the Code, where Arts. 133 to 140 carry no reform note. This page reports the statute; it is not legal or medical advice.
What is the exception in Article 137?
Art. 137, titled Aborto terapéutico, says an abortion is not punishable when it is performed by a doctor, with the woman’s consent, after a favourable prior diagnosis from at least one other doctor, without the intention of directly causing the death of the product of conception, and with the sole purpose of avoiding a duly established danger to the mother’s life, after all scientific and technical means have been exhausted. Every one of those conditions is written into the same sentence of the article.
Who has to certify a therapeutic abortion under Article 137?
The article names two doctors: the doctor who performs it and at least one other doctor whose prior diagnosis must be favourable (‘previo diagnóstico favorable de por lo menos otro médico’). Arts. 133 to 140, as printed in the two copies of the Code we read, set no form, register or authority for that diagnosis.
What penalty does the Código Penal set for a woman who has an abortion?
Art. 134 sets prison of one to three years for the woman who causes her own abortion or consents to another person causing it. If she acted driven by motives closely linked to her condition that cause her an undoubted psychological alteration, the article sets six months to two years. Art. 139 states that the woman’s attempt to cause her own abortion, and her own culpable (negligent) abortion, are not punishable.
What penalty does the Código Penal set for a doctor?
Art. 140 says a doctor who, abusing the profession, causes an abortion or cooperates in it receives the penalties of Art. 135 plus a fine of five hundred to three thousand quetzales and disqualification from practising for two to five years. The same sanctions apply, where relevant, to practitioners or persons holding a health qualification. Art. 135 itself sets one to three years if the woman consented, three to six years without her consent, and four to eight years if violence, threat or deception was used.
Does Guatemalan law set a gestational limit?
Art. 133 defines abortion as the death of the product of conception at any moment of the pregnancy (’en cualquier momento de la preñez’). None of Arts. 133 to 140, as printed in the two copies we read, states a week limit for the Art. 137 exception.
