It was reported in 2012 that about half of all abortions in Israel were performed in private clinics, i.e., without committee approval. Women who undergo such an abortion do not face criminal penalties, but physicians who perform them face a fine, or up to five years' imprisonment; however, there have been no known prosecutions of physicians for performing non-committee-approved abortions.[9] About 20,000 abortions take place in Israel every year, with the figure remaining steady, despite a substantial increase in the population.