Abortion in Estonia has been legal since 23 November 1955, when Estonia was part of the Soviet Union. Estonia fine-tuned their legislation after the restoration of independence. Estonia allows abortion on-demand for any purpose, before the end the 11th week of pregnancy. Later abortions are permitted up to the 21st week (included) if the woman is younger than 15 years old or older than 45 years old, if the pregnancy endangers the woman's health, if the child may have a serious physical or mental defect, or if the woman's illness or other medical problem hinders the child's development.