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Unsafe abortion
Unsafe abortions are defined as procedures for terminating a pregnancy that are “performed by persons lacking the necessary information or skills, in an environment lacking minimal medical standards, or both.” These include self-induced abortions, abortions in unhygienic conditions, and abortions performed by medical practitioners who do not provide appropriate post-abortion attention. About 45% of the 73 million abortions each year are considered unsafe, amounting to about 33 million unsafe abortions.
Most (97%) unsafe abortions occur in the developing world, where modern birth control is not readily available, and affordable, well-trained medical practitioners are scarce, and abortion is often illegal, with the more restrictive the law, the higher the rates of death and other complications.
Unsafe abortions are one of the leading causes of death during pregnancy and childbirth, accounting for about 5–13% of deaths during this period. This number is likely an underestimate given the stigma against and likely misclassification of unsafe abortion. In the developing world alone, unsafe abortions result in complications for about 7 million women a year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year. According to estimates from 2010 to 2014, approximately 45% of these abortions are unsafe. Out of this 45%, about 30% of abortions were less safe (meaning that either 1) the abortion was performed by a trained provider but with an unsafe method or 2) a safe abortion method was used but without adequate information or support from a trained provider) and about 15% were least safe (meaning that abortion was done using an unsafe method AND without support from a trained provider).
Unsafe abortion is a major cause of injury and death among women worldwide. According to WHO and the Guttmacher Institute, at least 22,800 women die annually as a result of complications of unsafe abortion; according to Doctors Without Borders, this number is likely closer to 29,000 women. Additionally, between 2 million and 7 million women each year survive unsafe abortion but sustain long-term damage or disease (incomplete abortion, infection, sepsis, bleeding, and injury to the internal organs, such as puncturing or tearing of the uterus). A greater proportion of deaths occur in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa, while a smaller proportion of deaths occur in East Asia (where access to abortion is generally legal). These figures may not be completely accurate, as the incidence of unsafe abortions may be difficult to measure due to possible reporting as a miscarriage, “induced miscarriage,” “menstrual regulation,” “mini-abortion” and “regulation of a delayed/suspended menstruation.”
The WHO and Guttmacher Institute also found that abortion is safer in countries where it is legal, but dangerous in countries where it is outlawed and performed in secret. In developed countries, where abortion laws tend to be more liberal, nearly all abortions (92%) are safe. In contrast, in developing countries, where abortion laws tend to be more restrictive, only about 45% of abortions are safe. Consequently, unsafe abortion-related deaths are more frequent in countries with more restrictive abortion laws (34 deaths per 100,000 births) than in countries with less restrictive laws (<1 death per 100,000 births). Legalizing abortion may therefore play a major role in reducing the frequency of unsafe abortion; this is supported by a 2019 study that found that countries with more flexible abortion laws had lower rates of maternal mortality. Still, the most repressive laws still apply to over 40% of the world population, and if found out, these women may face prosecution for an unsafe abortion, and later incarceration.
Because of these findings, groups such as the World Health Organization have long advocated for a public-health approach to addressing unsafe abortion, emphasizing the legalization of abortion, the training of medical personnel, and ensuring access to reproductive-health services.
WHO’s Global Strategy on Reproductive Health, adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2004, noted: “As a preventable cause of maternal mortality and morbidity, unsafe abortion must be dealt with as part of the MDG on improving maternal health and other international development goals and targets.” The WHO’s Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), whose research concerns people’s sexual and reproductive health and lives, has an overall strategy to combat unsafe abortion that comprises four interrelated activities:
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Unsafe abortion
Unsafe abortions are defined as procedures for terminating a pregnancy that are “performed by persons lacking the necessary information or skills, in an environment lacking minimal medical standards, or both.” These include self-induced abortions, abortions in unhygienic conditions, and abortions performed by medical practitioners who do not provide appropriate post-abortion attention. About 45% of the 73 million abortions each year are considered unsafe, amounting to about 33 million unsafe abortions.
Most (97%) unsafe abortions occur in the developing world, where modern birth control is not readily available, and affordable, well-trained medical practitioners are scarce, and abortion is often illegal, with the more restrictive the law, the higher the rates of death and other complications.
Unsafe abortions are one of the leading causes of death during pregnancy and childbirth, accounting for about 5–13% of deaths during this period. This number is likely an underestimate given the stigma against and likely misclassification of unsafe abortion. In the developing world alone, unsafe abortions result in complications for about 7 million women a year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year. According to estimates from 2010 to 2014, approximately 45% of these abortions are unsafe. Out of this 45%, about 30% of abortions were less safe (meaning that either 1) the abortion was performed by a trained provider but with an unsafe method or 2) a safe abortion method was used but without adequate information or support from a trained provider) and about 15% were least safe (meaning that abortion was done using an unsafe method AND without support from a trained provider).
Unsafe abortion is a major cause of injury and death among women worldwide. According to WHO and the Guttmacher Institute, at least 22,800 women die annually as a result of complications of unsafe abortion; according to Doctors Without Borders, this number is likely closer to 29,000 women. Additionally, between 2 million and 7 million women each year survive unsafe abortion but sustain long-term damage or disease (incomplete abortion, infection, sepsis, bleeding, and injury to the internal organs, such as puncturing or tearing of the uterus). A greater proportion of deaths occur in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa, while a smaller proportion of deaths occur in East Asia (where access to abortion is generally legal). These figures may not be completely accurate, as the incidence of unsafe abortions may be difficult to measure due to possible reporting as a miscarriage, “induced miscarriage,” “menstrual regulation,” “mini-abortion” and “regulation of a delayed/suspended menstruation.”
The WHO and Guttmacher Institute also found that abortion is safer in countries where it is legal, but dangerous in countries where it is outlawed and performed in secret. In developed countries, where abortion laws tend to be more liberal, nearly all abortions (92%) are safe. In contrast, in developing countries, where abortion laws tend to be more restrictive, only about 45% of abortions are safe. Consequently, unsafe abortion-related deaths are more frequent in countries with more restrictive abortion laws (34 deaths per 100,000 births) than in countries with less restrictive laws (<1 death per 100,000 births). Legalizing abortion may therefore play a major role in reducing the frequency of unsafe abortion; this is supported by a 2019 study that found that countries with more flexible abortion laws had lower rates of maternal mortality. Still, the most repressive laws still apply to over 40% of the world population, and if found out, these women may face prosecution for an unsafe abortion, and later incarceration.
Because of these findings, groups such as the World Health Organization have long advocated for a public-health approach to addressing unsafe abortion, emphasizing the legalization of abortion, the training of medical personnel, and ensuring access to reproductive-health services.
WHO’s Global Strategy on Reproductive Health, adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2004, noted: “As a preventable cause of maternal mortality and morbidity, unsafe abortion must be dealt with as part of the MDG on improving maternal health and other international development goals and targets.” The WHO’s Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), whose research concerns people’s sexual and reproductive health and lives, has an overall strategy to combat unsafe abortion that comprises four interrelated activities: