3.4.2 - Reproductive health services including reduction of maternal mortality (Article 14 (1) (a) & (b)) 585. The information provided in the previous point remains valid. Moreover, with reference to points a and b of Article 14 (1) of the Protocol, it should be emphasized that "every individual, every couple has the right to freely decide on the number of children they want to have and the spacing of their births, with discernment and without constraint in accordance with legal and regulatory provisions "(Article 17 of the Reproductive Health Law). 3.4.3 – Provisions relating to abortion (Article 14 (2) (c)) 586. Abortion has been taken into account by the Law on Reproductive Health in Articles 42, 43 and 44. Article 42 states that "the termination of a pregnancy shall under no circumstances be considered a contraceptive method”. 587. Abortion is authorized only on the prescription of a doctor and in the following cases:  when the development of the pregnancy endangers the life and the health of the pregnant woman;  at the request of the woman, when the pregnancy is the consequence of rape or an incestuous relationship;  when there is, at the time of the diagnosis, a high probability that the unborn child is suffering from a very serious affection ". 588. In the third case, the attending physician has the obligation to inform the couple who will decide whether or not to terminate the pregnancy. The couple may request to seek the opinion of a college of doctors in order to take their decision. 589. Article 43 stipulates that "the voluntary termination of pregnancy in the cases provided for in the preceding article can only be done in a public or private hospital having appropriate logistics. It can only be done by qualified personnel with competences officially recognized by the State for the practice of this kind of intervention”. 590. Lastly, according to Article 44, "any author, co-perpetrator and accomplice of an attempt to interrupt or terminate a pregnancy under conditions other than those provided for by this Law shall be liable to imprisonment of from one (1) to five (5) years and a fine ranging between five hundred thousand (500,000) and one million five hundred thousand (1,500,000) CFA francs. In the case of severe and permanent disability, the penalty shall be doubled. In the event of death of the victim, the 164