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! ==Health risks== Unsafe abortion is a major cause of injury and death among women worldwide. It is estimated that nearly 25 million unsafe abortions take place annually.<ref name = "Ganatra_2017" /> WHO estimates that at least 7.9% of maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortion, with a greater proportion occurring in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa and a lesser proportion in East Asia where access to abortion is generally legal.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Say L, Chou D, Gemmill A, Tunçalp Ö, Moller AB, Daniels J, Gülmezoglu AM, Temmerman M, Alkema L | display-authors = 6 | title = Global causes of maternal death: a WHO systematic analysis | journal = The Lancet. Global Health | volume = 2 | issue = 6 | pages = e323–e333 | date = June 2014 | pmid = 25103301 | doi = 10.1016/S2214-109X(14)70227-X | doi-access = free | hdl = 1854/LU-5796925 | hdl-access = free }}</ref> 97% of these abortions take place in [[developing country|developing countries]].<ref name="lancet-grimes">{{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> Unsafe abortion is believed to result in at least 22,800 deaths and millions of injuries annually.<ref name="lancet-grimes"/> The legal status of abortion is believed to play a major role in the frequency of unsafe abortion.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Berer M | title = National laws and unsafe abortion: the parameters of change | journal = Reproductive Health Matters | volume = 12 | issue = 24 Suppl | pages = 1–8 | date = November 2004 | pmid = 15938152 | doi = 10.1016/S0968-8080(04)24024-1 | s2cid = 33795725 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name="berer-who"/> For example, the 1996 legalization of abortion in [[South Africa]] had an immediate positive impact on the frequency of abortion-related complications,<ref name="jewkes">{{cite journal | vauthors = Jewkes R, Rees H, Dickson K, Brown H, Levin J | title = The impact of age on the epidemiology of incomplete abortions in South Africa after legislative change | journal = BJOG | volume = 112 | issue = 3 | pages = 355–359 | date = March 2005 | pmid = 15713153 | doi = 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2004.00422.x | s2cid = 41663939 | doi-access = free }}</ref> with abortion-related deaths dropping by more than 90%.<ref name="bateman-samj">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bateman C | title = Maternal mortalities 90% down as legal TOPs more than triple | journal = South African Medical Journal = Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Geneeskunde | volume = 97 | issue = 12 | pages = 1238–1242 | date = December 2007 | pmid = 18264602 }}</ref> Groups such as the [[World Health Organization]] have advocated 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.<ref name="berer-who">{{cite journal | vauthors = Berer M | title = Making abortions safe: a matter of good public health policy and practice | journal = Bulletin of the World Health Organization | volume = 78 | issue = 5 | pages = 580–592 | year = 2000 | pmid = 10859852 | pmc = 2560758 }}</ref> An unsafe abortion can lead to wide range of health risks that can affect the well-being of women. The major and most life-threatening complications that stem from unsafe abortions are infection, hemorrhaging and injury to internal organs.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs388/en/|title=Preventing unsafe abortion|website=World Health Organization|access-date=7 December 2017}}</ref> Abortion symptoms that can lead to additional health risks: * To provide the necessary treatment, an accurate assessment of an unsafe abortion is critical. Some signs and symptoms that require immediate attention by a licensed health care provider include: abdominal pain, vaginal infection, abnormal vaginal bleeding, shock (collapse of the circulatory system).<ref name="auto1"/> * It is difficult to diagnose complications that result from an unsafe abortion. A woman with an extra-uterine or ectopic pregnancy may have symptoms similar to those of incomplete abortion. Therefore, it is important for health care providers to refer individuals they are unsure about to a facility where a definitive diagnosis can be made and care can be provided.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Vlassoff M, Shearer J, Walker D, Lucas H | title = Economic impact of unsafe abortion-related morbidity and mortality: evidence and estimation challenges. | location = Brighton, UK | publisher = Institute of Development Studies | date = December 2008 | url = https://www.ids.ac.uk/download.php?file=files/dmfile/RR591.pdf | series = Research Report | volume = 59 }}</ref> Complications and their treatments include: * Infection: antibiotics prescribed by a health care provider and removing tissue from the affected area. * Hemorrhage: swift treatment by a health care provider is imperative, as delays can be fatal. Damage to the genital tract or internal organs: Admission to a health care facility is imperative, any delay can be fatal.<ref name="Haddad_2009">{{cite journal | vauthors = Haddad LB, Nour NM | title = Unsafe abortion: unnecessary maternal mortality | journal = Reviews in Obstetrics & Gynecology | volume = 2 | issue = 2 | pages = 122–126 | date = 2009 | pmid = 19609407 | pmc = 2709326 }}</ref> ===Treatment of complications=== Regardless if an abortion was legal or illegal, health care providers are required by law to provide medical care to patients, as it may be life-saving. In some cases, treatment for abortion complications may be administered only when the woman provides information about the abortion and any and all persons that were involved.<ref name="Ingelse_2001">{{cite book | vauthors = Ingelse C | chapter = The Committee Against Torture. | title = The UN Committee against Torture | date = January 2001 | pages = 89–123 | publisher = Brill Nijhoff | doi = 10.1163/9789004478114_007 | isbn = 9789004478114 | s2cid = 239991865 }}</ref> In areas where abortion is illegal, people seeking care for complications of illegal abortions may face legal consequences. This may deter people from seeking life-saving care.<ref name="Ingelse_2001"/> Globally, there is a high burden of complications from unsafe abortions.<ref name = burdenofmorbidity>{{cite journal | vauthors = Adler AJ, Filippi V, Thomas SL, Ronsmans C | title = Quantifying the global burden of morbidity due to unsafe abortion: magnitude in hospital-based studies and methodological issues | journal = International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics | volume = 118 | issue = Suppl 2 | pages = S65–S77 | date = September 2012 | pmid = 22920625 | pmc = | doi = 10.1016/S0020-7292(12)60003-4 | s2cid = 43126015 }}</ref> The costs of treating the complications can be significant in developing countries, where, in 2011, 98% of unsafe abortions occurred.<ref name = fourstudies>{{cite journal | vauthors = Vlassoff M, Singh S, Onda T | title = The cost of post-abortion care in developing countries: a comparative analysis of four studies | journal = Health Policy and Planning | volume = 31 | issue = 8 | pages = 1020–1030 | date = October 2016 | pmid = 27045001 | pmc = 5013781 | doi = 10.1093/heapol/czw032 }}</ref> An estimated 5.3 million women worldwide have developed complications or disabilities from unsafe abortion, which may be either temporary or permanent.<ref name = adolescentsinafrica>{{cite journal | vauthors = Atuhaire S | title = Abortion among adolescents in Africa: A review of practices, consequences, and control strategies | journal = The International Journal of Health Planning and Management | volume = 34 | issue = 4 | pages = e1378–e1386 | date = October 2019 | pmid = 31290183 | pmc = | doi = 10.1002/hpm.2842 | url = https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/81136286/Abortion_among_adolescents_in_Africa_A_systematic_review-with-cover-page-v2.pdf?Expires=1653934375&Signature=NDcEa6yXggYFRuKdmyL1Kh74lFldJs2dpbzbaQxJfG7V91jPqdODfXmdSnN~eW~hVtoOLn~Q3umsUtlq8VXRbc6a7ZIvNx-D7LULWPpmVYNhocqg6FZ12m5TrGdKoVfaWFbPWYJfkz7MQ81pJ-t8LL2i6yX5WVk2nGUg7PhydMowg2M9QIpK~PrjC1Uaf7nN42NMlmWqLgg0~XGa1pkUFnPMaRKzufZTjypHJ0R2rlaekODFhauRFVh8QJdUHPWQw-EviwKp9V2A3h9jgZ~vLXonHjKewy~qSOnUJJauG752F46QZBaRbMmhdP7ZHxhvxPgnfvJY4sxXnmWWfPwz3g__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA | s2cid = 195871358 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220530171300/https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/81136286/Abortion_among_adolescents_in_Africa_A_systematic_review-with-cover-page-v2.pdf?Expires=1653934375&Signature=NDcEa6yXggYFRuKdmyL1Kh74lFldJs2dpbzbaQxJfG7V91jPqdODfXmdSnN~eW~hVtoOLn~Q3umsUtlq8VXRbc6a7ZIvNx-D7LULWPpmVYNhocqg6FZ12m5TrGdKoVfaWFbPWYJfkz7MQ81pJ-t8LL2i6yX5WVk2nGUg7PhydMowg2M9QIpK~PrjC1Uaf7nN42NMlmWqLgg0~XGa1pkUFnPMaRKzufZTjypHJ0R2rlaekODFhauRFVh8QJdUHPWQw-EviwKp9V2A3h9jgZ~vLXonHjKewy~qSOnUJJauG752F46QZBaRbMmhdP7ZHxhvxPgnfvJY4sxXnmWWfPwz3g__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA | archive-date = 2022-05-30 }}</ref> Unsafe abortions cause an estimated 5 million lost [[disability-adjusted life year]]s each year by women of reproductive age.<ref name = preventablepandemic>{{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 | pmc = | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69481-6 | series = Sexual and Reproductive Health 4 | s2cid = 6188636 }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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