- Abortion legal status
- Legal
- Emergency contraception
- Over the counter
Updated July 2026
Good to know
Good to Know
- The main documented support channel for gender-based violence in Cape Verde is the national hotline 800 18 18 (free, confidential), but it only operates 08:00–20:00 on weekdays — outside those hours, go directly to the police (132) or a hospital (130).
- Sal's public health clinics (Delegacia de Saúde) have limited daytime hours and are not set up for emergencies or complex care, and English isn't widely spoken there — for anything serious, a private clinic or medical evacuation may be needed.
- Emergency contraception (levonorgestrel-based) is legally available in Cape Verde and included on the national essential medicines list, but we couldn't confirm exact pharmacy pricing or strict OTC-vs-prescription practice specifically on Sal, so it's worth calling ahead or asking in person at a pharmacy in Espargos or Santa Maria.
- No dedicated in-person rape crisis center or women's shelter specific to Sal Island was found — the national hotline appears to be the primary first point of contact, which can direct you to local police or health services.
- Abortion is legal on request up to 12 weeks of pregnancy in Cape Verde nationally, with legal access after that point limited to health-risk or fetal-impairment grounds — but we could not confirm which specific facility on Sal itself actually provides this care.
- If you're on Sal and need gynecological or abortion-related care beyond a basic consultation, budget extra time and possibly a flight to Praia (the capital) — Sal's medical infrastructure is geared toward tourism-related basic care, and specialist services are concentrated in the capital.
- Bring/confirm your own supply of emergency contraception if possible, since availability and pharmacy stocking on a small tourist island like Sal can be inconsistent.
National Helplines
Linha De Apoio àS Vítimas De VBG (Gender-Based Violence Support Line)
- Number
- 800 18 18
- Cost
- Free to call
- Hours
- 08:00–20:00, weekdays only (no confirmed weekend/night coverage)
- Details
- A linha 800 18 18 é uma linha de apoio e informações, destinada ao atendimento especializado das vítimas de Violência Baseada no Género e não só, gratuita, confidencial, acessível a partir de todas as redes fixas e móveis nacionais, operando das 08h00 às 20h00 nos dias úteis.
- Coverage
- National (covers Sal, as there is no Sal-specific dedicated line documented)
General Emergency Numbers
Hospitals / Ambulance
- Number
- 130
Fire Brigade
- Number
- 131
National Police
- Number
- 132
National Civil Protection and Fire Service
- Number
- 8001112
Contraception Access
Other Female Methods
Pill IUD Implant
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- General Availability
- Cape Verde's public health delegations (delegacias de saúde), including the one on Sal, are the standard entry point for family planning services nationally, but confirmation of which specific methods (pill, IUD, implant) are routinely stocked at the Sal facility specifically was not found.
- Practical Note
- Given Sal's limited clinic hours and capacity noted by the US Embassy, nomads seeking a specific method (especially IUD/implant insertion) should confirm availability directly with a private clinic on the island before relying on it, or plan around a trip to Praia where services are more established.
Emergency Contraception
- Pricing
- Not confirmed for Sal — no verified current price found; figures were not fabricated to avoid inaccurate cost data.
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Expected Access Point
- Pharmacies in Espargos and Santa Maria (Sal's two main towns) are the typical access point, though exact over-the-counter vs. behind-the-counter practice and per-unit pricing on Sal specifically could not be confirmed from official sources.
- Status Notes
- Cabo Verde: Regimen: Levonorgestrel 0.75 mg — the country is listed among nations that include levonorgestrel-only emergency contraceptive pills on their national Essential Medicines List.
Abortion Law And OB-GYN
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
Access Routes
- Medication Abortion
- Data on whether a prescription is required to obtain misoprostol, and on distribution regulations for it in Cape Verde, is not clearly documented in available international tracking databases.
- Public Health System
- Legal abortion care is provided through Cape Verde's public health/reproductive health system under the 1987 Law and Regulation on Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy; procedures are registered under gynecological indications such as birth, miscarriage treatment, or abortion care.
- Sal Specific Access Note
- No island-specific (Sal) abortion-service access details — such as which named clinic or hospital on Sal actually performs the procedure — were found in available sources; nationally, specialist and hospital-based reproductive care in Cape Verde tends to be concentrated in Praia (the capital, on Santiago island), so island-hopping or referral to the capital is common for procedures beyond basic care.
Named OB-GYN Options In Sal
- Finding
- No specific named OBGYN doctors or dedicated gynecology clinics located within central Sal (Santa Maria or Espargos) could be verified in the sources we checked.
- Practical Guidance
- For anything beyond basic prenatal/gynecological consultation, nomads on Sal should expect that specialist or procedural care (including abortion care) is more reliably available in Praia, and serious or complex cases are often referred off-island or to Portugal/Europe given Cape Verde's limited specialist capacity outside the capital.
- General Facility Context
- Sal's main public hospital-level facility is in Espargos (the island's administrative center), but its OBGYN staffing, services, and whether it performs abortion procedures could not be confirmed with a named, current source at the time of research.
Abortion Time Limits And Grounds
- On Request
- Abortion in Cape Verde has been legal upon request prior to 12 weeks of pregnancy since 1986.
- After 12 Weeks
- After 12 weeks, a woman in Cape Verde can obtain a legal abortion if the pregnancy poses a risk to her physical or mental health or if the fetus is impaired.
- Regional Context
- Cape Verde is one of only a handful of African countries — alongside Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa and Tunisia — to permit elective abortion rather than a narrow, grounds-only regime.
- Additional Grounds Noted By Some Sources
- One tracking source (Women on Waves) also lists rape, incest, sexual assault, and prevention of transmission of a grave hereditary or contagious illness as separate legal grounds, in addition to on-request access before 12 weeks.
Local Medical Facility On Sal
- Phone
- 241-1256 / 241-1130
- Name
- Delegacia de Saúde do Sal
- Address
- Preguiça, Espargos, Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde
- Caveats
- Health centers and health delegations are community clinics staffed by doctors and/or nurses, most open for limited daytime hours only, offering basic services such as consultation and injections; they are not equipped to handle emergencies or complex medical procedures, and English is not widely spoken at these facilities.
Dedicated Rape Crisis Center Or Shelter On Sal
Not identified — no Sal-specific rape crisis center, women's shelter, or in-person support office was found in available sources; the national VBG hotline appears to be the primary documented channel, which can refer callers to local police, health, or social-services support.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
More About Sal
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.