Global Abortion Rates
by Liz Olson
Research done by scientists from the World Health Organization
in Geneva and the Guttmacher Institute in New York, shows that outlawing
abortion has not deterred women from seeking the procedure. In countries
where abortion is legal, researchers found that abortion was safe, whereas
in countries where it is illegal, the procedure is dangerous. Globally,
there are 31 abortions for every 100 live births, and studies show that
abortion accounts for 13% of women’s deaths during pregnancy and
childbirth.
In October 2007, the WHO and the Guttmacher Institute
released a study that showed a global picture of abortion trends, indicating
that women are not influenced by the law in their decision to have an
abortion. If it is illegal, women are seeking abortions in unsafe conditions
by untrained people. In Ethiopia, where abortion
is illegal, it is the second leading cause of death among women.
Data
suggests that the best way to reduce abortion rates is to make contraception
more available rather than banning the practice of abortions. The study
found that in Eastern Europe, where contraception has become more
accessible, abortion rates have decreased by 50%. After abortion was
legalized in South Africa in 1996, for example,
there was a 90% decrease in abortion-related deaths.
Anti-abortionists suggest that the major reason women die in developing
countries is not because abortion is illegal, but because hospitals and
health care in general are lacking, which would not necessarily change if
abortion is legalized.
| Incidence and
Rates |
| Global and
regional estimates of induced abortion, 1995 and 2003 |
| Region and
Subregion |
No. of abortions
(millions) |
Abortion rate1 |
| 1995 |
2003 |
1995 |
2003 |
| World |
45.6 |
41.6 |
35 |
29 |
| Developed Countries |
10.0 |
6.6 |
39 |
26 |
| Excluding Eastern Europe |
3.8 |
3.5 |
20 |
19 |
| Developing countries2 |
35.5 |
35.0 |
34 |
29 |
| Excluding China |
24.9 |
26.4 |
33 |
30 |
| Estimates by region |
| Africa |
5.0 |
5.6 |
33 |
29 |
| Asia |
26.8 |
25.9 |
33 |
29 |
| Europe |
7.7 |
4.3 |
48 |
28 |
| Latin America |
4.2 |
4.1 |
37 |
31 |
| Northern America |
1.5 |
1.5 |
22 |
21 |
| Oceania |
0.1 |
0.1 |
21 |
17 |
1. Abortions per 1,000 women aged
15–44
2. Those within Africa, the Americas,
excluding Canada and the United States of America, Asia, excluding Japan,
and Oceania, excluding Australia and New Zealand
The study results
showed that about 20 million unsafe abortions are performed worldwide every
year. As a result of complications from abortions, 67,000 women die each
year.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
