- Abortion legal status
- Illegal
- Emergency number
- 999
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: travel.gc.ca
Good to know
Good to Know
- Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago runs a 24-hour hotline out of its Port of Spain (North) office and offers free, confidential counselling in English and Spanish — useful for migrants as well as locals.
- The national 800-SAVE domestic violence hotline and the TTPS Gender-Based Violence Unit (999) are separate from the Rape Crisis Society line, so it's worth saving all of these numbers rather than just one.
- Birth control pills and condoms are sold over the counter at pharmacies without a prescription, but emergency contraception ('morning-after pill') technically requires a prescription in Trinidad and Tobago — in practice enforcement is inconsistent, so it's smart to know a pharmacy or FPATT clinic in advance rather than assuming same-day OTC access everywhere.
- IUDs and implants aren't pharmacy purchases — you'll need to go to a clinic (FPATT has two Port of Spain locations) or a public hospital; FPATT's own consultation fee is very low (about TTD 100 / roughly USD 15), though public hospital family planning services are officially free but framed as being for citizens/residents, so a short-term visitor may want to confirm eligibility before relying on the free public route.
- Abortion is illegal in Trinidad and Tobago in almost all circumstances; the law criminalizes both the pregnant woman and anyone who assists her.
- There is a narrow, legally untested exception based on a UK court precedent (Bourne) that may allow a doctor to terminate a pregnancy in good faith to preserve a woman's life or health, but this is a case-by-case medical/legal judgment, not a codified right — do not assume it guarantees access.
- Because access depends on an individual doctor's willingness to invoke this exception, and many doctors are hesitant, legal termination in practice is difficult to obtain and often only pursued through private specialist care.
- If you need gynecological or reproductive healthcare while in Port of Spain (routine care, contraception, STI testing, prenatal care), several named OBGYN practices operate in the St. James/Woodbrook area close to the city center.
- For anyone facing an unwanted pregnancy, note that Trinidad and Tobago's restrictive law has been linked to unsafe abortion practices and associated maternal health risks — seeking care from a licensed OBGYN rather than informal or unregulated routes is safer.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Street Harassment
The Government of Canada's travel advice for Trinidad and Tobago states that women travelling alone may be subject to some forms of harassment, verbal abuse or sexual assault. One travel safety guide to Port of Spain specifically notes that solo women travelers tend to blend in easily during daylight around the Queen's Park Savannah and the Woodbrook dining strip, but unwanted comments can still occur there. Expect this risk to be lower in daylight in those well-trafficked areas and higher elsewhere or after dark.
Walking Alone at Night
Canadian government travel advice is explicit: avoid non-essential travel to Beetham Estate Gardens, Cocorite (north of Western Main Road), downtown Port of Spain (east of Charlotte Street, south and west of Piccadilly Street, and north of Independence Square), Laventille, and Sea Lots due to high levels of violence and gang-related crime, and more broadly advises not walking alone at night anywhere in the city. U.S. State Department guidance, as summarized by a travel outlet, similarly tells travelers to avoid downtown Port of Spain, Fort George, Queen's Park Savannah, and all beaches after dark. A locally focused safety guide recommends basing yourself in Woodbrook, St. Clair, or along the Savannah corridor instead, since this keeps you near restaurants and attractions without crossing through higher-risk areas.
Taxis and Ride-hailing
The Canadian government's advisory notes that reported incidents of harassment or assault against women have occurred specifically in unregistered taxis, so sticking to properly licensed vehicles matters. A Port of Spain safety guide advises looking for taxis with official H-registration plates, or using an app such as InDriver, rather than ever accepting a ride from an unmarked or informal driver, and suggests switching to ride-hailing apps rather than street-hailing a taxi after around 9 p.m. These app-based recommendations come from a general travel-safety guide rather than an official government source, so treat them as a sensible precaution rather than a guaranteed solution.
Spiked Food and Drinks
The Government of Canada's travel advisory for Trinidad and Tobago warns of reports of criminals adding drugs into food and drinks in ways that could put a person at risk of sexual assault or robbery, with victims in some cases drugged before being assaulted. It identifies nightclubs, bars and restaurants, and public transportation including taxis as the settings where this is most likely to occur. This means keeping an eye on your own drink and food, and being cautious about accepting items from strangers, is a documented and specific precaution for this country, not a generic warning.
General Practical Precautions
Beyond the taxi and nightlife-specific points, Canadian government travel advice for Trinidad and Tobago recommends avoiding deserted beaches and isolated areas, not carrying large amounts of cash or visible signs of affluence, keeping belongings and travel documents secure, and never leaving phones, cash or cards unattended. It also suggests staying in hotels or villas with guards and security cameras where possible, keeping vehicle windows closed and doors locked, and remaining vigilant generally. These are country-level recommendations rather than points documented only for Port of Spain itself.
Abortion Law And OB-GYN
Abortion Law
- Status
- illegal
- Penalty
- The law creates a maximum penalty of four years in prison for the pregnant woman, with a separate offence and penalty for anyone who assists her; the actual sentence handed down is at the court's discretion and may be less than the maximum.
- Summary
- As the law stands presently, abortion is illegal in Trinidad & Tobago, and criminalises both the woman seeking or attempting to get an abortion and any other person who helps her, including by supplying drugs or instruments used to cause the abortion.
- Legal Basis
- Offences Against the Person Act, 1925 (as amended)
- Narrow Exception
- There is no statutory list of exceptions, but Trinidad and Tobago courts look to the UK case Rex v Bourne (1938) as highly influential; that precedent held a doctor could lawfully terminate a pregnancy if, acting in good faith and on reasonable medical grounds, he believed continuing the pregnancy would harm the woman's physical or mental health. T&T's own courts have not yet decided a case squarely on this defence, so its exact boundaries are legally untested locally.
- Advocacy Landscape
- A local non-profit, Advocates for Safe Parenthood: Improving Reproductive Equity (ASPIRE), established in 1999, advocates for abortion law reform and improved sexual and reproductive health access in the country.
- Abortion Time Limits
- No specific abortion time limit is set in statute for the narrow good-faith/necessity exception; because the exception operates as a case-by-case medical and legal judgment call rather than a defined legal window, there is no official cutoff comparable to countries with regulated abortion access.
- Practical Access Route
- Legal abortion in practice is only realistically available where a physician is willing to certify, in good faith, that continuing the pregnancy threatens the woman's life or health, and this is typically only pursued through private specialist obstetric/gynecological care rather than public hospitals; many doctors are reported to be hesitant to perform the procedure given the law's lack of a clear definition of qualifying mental-health grounds.
- Public Health Context
- Unsafe, illegal abortions are recognized as contributing to maternal morbidity and hospital admissions in Trinidad and Tobago, and the country's maternal mortality rate is reported at 55 per 100,000 live births.
OB-GYN Options Port Of Spain
Her Health TT
- Area
- St. James, Port of Spain
- Address
- 33 Bengal Street, St. James, Port-of-Spain
- Notes
- Obstetrician & Gynecologist office; both doctors on the team are Members of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (UK), and the clinic offers urgent after-hours consults.
Azalea Health Services
- Area
- Woodbrook, Port of Spain
- Address
- 68 Rosalino Street, Port of Spain (Woodbrook)
- Notes
- Led by Dr. Shevon Joseph, an ABOG (American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology) board-certified physician trained in the US; clinic states its services extend to LGBTQI+ patients, differently-abled persons, and Spanish speakers.
Today's Woman OBGYN
- Area
- Woodbrook, Port of Spain
- Address
- 46 O'Connor Street, Woodbrook, Port of Spain
- Notes
- Led by Dr. Sandra Boxill, an American Board Certified Gynecologist & Obstetrician.
Angelina Place Healthcare (Women's Clinic)
- Area
- Port of Spain
- Address
- Not publicly listed with street address; contact via clinic's social channels
- Notes
- OBGYN clinic with doctors Christina L.K. Serrao and Renée Romeo-Bassey; open Monday–Saturday.
Assault And Abuse Hotlines
Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago — North (Port of Spain) Office
- Contact
- (868) 627-7273
- Details
- RCSTT hotlines provide immediate support to persons in need, experiencing instances of SGBV and assists persons experiencing mental health issues. Counselling is offered in both English and Spanish, with particular emphasis on sexual or gender-based violence survivors, and sessions are free and confidential.
- Availability
- 24-hour hotline
800-SAVE (800-7283)
- Name
- National Domestic Violence Hotline (Ministry of Social Development and Family Services)
- Details
- This 24-hour hotline provides counselling services, crisis intervention and referrals to appropriate agencies for victims of domestic violence.
- Availability
- 24-hour
TTPS Gender-Based Violence Unit
- Contact
- 999 (or 555/911); WhatsApp 482-4279
- Details
- The Gender-Based Violence Unit was created in early 2020 in response to the prevalence of domestic violence cases in Trinidad and Tobago, and can be contacted to report all cases of domestic violence.
- Availability
- 24-hour, national police emergency line
Trinidad and Tobago Coalition Against Domestic Violence (TTCADV)
- Contact
- (868) 627-7273 / (868) 624-0204
- Details
- If you are a gender-based violence survivor and are in need of pro-bono legal services, safe housing or free counselling, you can reach out to the Coalition, which advocates policies that promote protection against domestic violence and offers legal advice and counselling.
- Availability
- Business hours (varies by service)
TTPS Victim and Witness Support Unit
- Contact
- (868) 624-8853
- Details
- Police-affiliated unit supporting victims and witnesses through the reporting and court process.
- Availability
- Business hours
Police (General Emergency)
- Contact
- 999 / 911 / 555
- Details
- You can go to a police station near where you live; a directory of stations is published by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, and once a report is made a restraining order can be requested.
- Availability
- 24/7
Contraception And Emergency Contraception
IUD
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Public Option
- The Ministry of Health offers family planning and reproductive health services, including IUD insertion, free of charge to clients 16 years and older at public facilities such as Port of Spain General Hospital, Mt. Hope Women's Hospital, and San Fernando General Hospital, on a walk-in, first-come first-served basis.
- Fpatt Consultation Fee
- TTD 100
- Access Notes
- For other forms of birth control such as implants, injectables, and IUDs, you generally need to visit a hospital or clinic directly rather than a pharmacy. FPATT offers the Copper T IUD as a non-hormonal option, with consultations available for a fee.
Implant
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Access Notes
- Contraceptive implants are not sold over the counter; they require insertion at a hospital or clinic (e.g. FPATT or a public health facility) rather than a pharmacy purchase.
Oral Contraceptive Pill
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Access Notes
- You can purchase condoms and birth control pills at pharmacies without a prescription in Trinidad and Tobago, and FPATT clinics in Port of Spain also provide contraceptive counselling and provision as part of routine services.
Provider Example
- Name
- Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT), Port of Spain clinics
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, 7am–3pm (Oxford St) / 8am–4pm (Henry St)
- Consultation Fee
- TTD 100
Addresses
- 79 Oxford Street, Port of Spain
- 141-144 Henry Street, Port of Spain
Emergency Contraception Pill
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Access Notes
- Emergency contraceptive pills (morning-after pills) are available in Trinidad and Tobago, but a prescription is technically required, and it is unclear how consistently pharmacists enforce this. Brands found locally include Postinor-2, Postinor 2 SD, and Pregnon.
- Pricing Note
- No verified current retail price for a specific pharmacy-dispensed EC pill in Port of Spain could be confirmed; treat any online multi-country price aggregator figures as unreliable for this city.
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Port of Spain
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.