Unsafe abortion Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Overview== The [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) estimated that for the time period of 2010-14 there were 55.7 million abortions worldwide each year. Out of these abortions, approximately 54% were safe, 31% were less safe, and 14% were least safe. That means that 25 million (45%) abortions each year between 2010 and 2014 were unsafe, with 24 million (97%) of these in developing countries.<ref name = "Ganatra_2017">{{cite journal | vauthors = Ganatra B, Gerdts C, Rossier C, Johnson BR, Tunçalp Ö, Assifi A, Sedgh G, Singh S, Bankole A, Popinchalk A, Bearak J, Kang Z, Alkema L | display-authors = 6 | title = Global, regional, and subregional classification of abortions by safety, 2010-14: estimates from a Bayesian hierarchical model | journal = Lancet | volume = 390 | issue = 10110 | pages = 2372–2381 | date = November 2017 | pmid = 28964589 | pmc = 5711001 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31794-4 }}</ref> In 2003 approximately 42 million pregnancies were voluntarily terminated, of which 20 million were unsafe.<ref name="who_unsafe_abortion2011">{{cite web | url = https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/unsafe_abortion/9789241501118/en/index.html | title = Unsafe abortion Global and regional estimates of the incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality in 2008 | page = 2 | publisher = World Health Organization 2011 | quote = It was estimated that in 2003 approximately 42 million pregnancies were voluntarily terminated: 22 million safely and 20 million unsafely. }}</ref> According to WHO and the [[Guttmacher Institute]], at least 22,800<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-worldwide|title=Induced Abortion Worldwide|date=2016-05-10|work=Guttmacher Institute|access-date=2018-03-08|language=en}}</ref> women die annually as a result of complications of unsafe abortion, and between two million and seven 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). They also concluded abortion is safer in countries where it is legal, but dangerous in countries where it is outlawed and performed clandestinely. The WHO reports that in developed regions, nearly all abortions (92%) are safe, whereas in developing countries, more than half (55%) are unsafe. According to WHO statistics, the risk rate for unsafe abortion is 1/270; according to other sources, unsafe abortion is responsible for at least 8% of maternal deaths.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Nour NM | title = An introduction to maternal mortality | journal = Reviews in Obstetrics & Gynecology | volume = 1 | issue = 2 | pages = 77–81 | year = 2008 | pmid = 18769668 | pmc = 2505173 }}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Worldwide, 48% of all induced abortions are unsafe. The ''[[British Medical Bulletin]]'' reported in 2003 that 70,000 women a year die from unsafe abortion.<ref name="grimes2"> {{cite journal | vauthors = Grimes DA | title = Unsafe abortion: the silent scourge | journal = British Medical Bulletin | volume = 67 | issue = 1 | pages = 99–113 | date = 2003-12-01 | pmid = 14711757 | doi = 10.1093/bmb/ldg002 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Incidence of such abortions may be difficult to measure because they can be reported variously as miscarriage, "induced miscarriage", "menstrual regulation", "mini-abortion", and "regulation of a delayed/suspended menstruation".<ref name=Pandemic>{{cite journal | vauthors = Grimes DA, Benson J, Singh S, Romero M, Ganatra B, Okonofua FE, Shah IH | title = Unsafe abortion: the preventable pandemic | journal = Lancet | volume = 368 | issue = 9550 | pages = 1908–1919 | date = November 2006 | pmid = 17126724 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69481-6 | s2cid = 6188636 }}</ref><ref name=Brazil_Unsafe>{{cite journal | vauthors = Nations MK, Misago C, Fonseca W, Correia LL, Campbell OM | title = Women's hidden transcripts about abortion in Brazil | journal = Social Science & Medicine | volume = 44 | issue = 12 | pages = 1833–1845 | date = June 1997 | pmid = 9194245 | doi = 10.1016/s0277-9536(96)00293-6 }}</ref> An article pre-printed by the WHO called safe, legal abortion a "[[fundamental right]] of women, irrespective of where they live" and unsafe abortion a "silent [[pandemic]]".<ref name="Pandemic"/> The article states "ending the silent pandemic of unsafe abortion is an urgent [[public health|public-health]] and [[human-rights]] imperative." It also states "access to safe abortion improves [[women's health]], and vice versa, as documented in [[Romania]] during the regime of President [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]]" and "legalisation of abortion on request is a necessary but insufficient step toward improving women's health" citing that in some countries, such as India, where abortion has been legal for decades, access to competent care remains restricted because of other barriers. 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."<ref name="who2">{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/unsafe_abortion/hrpwork/en/index.html |publisher=WHO |title=Preventing unsafe abortion |access-date=2014-03-28}}</ref> The WHO's Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), whose research concerns people's sexual and reproductive health and lives,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/hrp/en/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617123321/http://www.who.int/hrp/en/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 17, 2009 |title=New findings from the WHO Multicountry Survey on Maternal and Newborn Health |publisher=WHO |access-date=2014-03-28}}</ref> has an overall strategy to combat unsafe abortion that comprises four interrelated activities:<ref name="who2" /> *to collate, synthesize and generate scientifically sound evidence on unsafe abortion prevalence and practices; *to develop improved technologies and implement interventions to make abortion safer; *to translate evidence into norms, tools and guidelines; *and to assist in the development of programmes and policies that reduce unsafe abortion and improve access to safe abortion and high-quality post-abortion care. A 2007 study published in ''[[The Lancet]]'' found that, although the global rate of abortion declined from 45.6 million in 1995 to 41.6 million in 2003, unsafe procedures still accounted for 48% of all abortions performed in 2003. It also concluded that, while the overall incidence of abortion in both developed and developing countries is approximately equal, unsafe abortion occurs more often in less-developed nations.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sedgh G, Henshaw S, Singh S, Ahman E, Shah IH | title = Induced abortion: estimated rates and trends worldwide | journal = Lancet | volume = 370 | issue = 9595 | pages = 1338–1345 | date = October 2007 | pmid = 17933648 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61575-X | s2cid = 28458527 | citeseerx = 10.1.1.454.4197 }} </ref> The most repressive of laws still apply to over 40% of the world population. If found out, these women may face prosecution, and later incarceration. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Berer |first=Marge |date=June 2017 |title=Abortion Law and Policy Around the World |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5473035/ |journal=Health and Human Rights |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=13–27 |issn=1079-0969 |pmc=5473035 |pmid=28630538}}</ref> According to a new study in ''The Lancet'' that focused on data from 2010 to 2014, nearly 55 million pregnancies are terminated early and of that 55 million, nearly half, 25.5 million are deemed as unsafe.<ref>{{cite web | vauthors = Welch A | date = 27 September 2017 | title = Report finds nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe | website = [[CBS News]] | access-date = 5 December 2017 | url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-finds-nearly-half-of-all-abortions-worldwide-are-unsafe/ }}</ref> The WHO and the Guttmacher Institute stress the need for access to a safe abortion for all women and that unsafe methods must be replaced. Africa, Asia and Latin America account for almost 97 percent of unsafe abortions. These regions are often poorer and underdeveloped and lack the access to safe abortion methods. Out of all abortions in these regions only 25% are considered safe. In developed countries these numbers improve drastically. Nearly all abortions in North America (99%) are considered safe. Overall nearly 88% of abortions in developed countries were actually considered safe, with the number of safe abortions in Europe slightly lower. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page