|
| Unsafe abortion almost exclusively affects women in developing countries where abortion is illegal. |
| Richard Lord |
|
The falling rate of induced abortions worldwide has stalled in the last five years, and the proportion of abortions considered unsafe continues to rise, according to new research by the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization. But these trends do not affect all women equally: they almost exclusively affect women in developing countries where abortion is illegal.
“This research reinforces what we see in our work with providers and in communities around the world: that unsafe abortion is a sadly neglected health indicator,” said Janie Benson, Ipas vice president for research and evaluation. “Developing nations disproportionately bear the burden of unsafe abortion. It takes a huge toll on women and their families, as well as fragile health systems.”
The lead author of the article, Gilda Sedgh, noted that the stall in the decline in abortion rates corresponds with a stall in what had been an increasing rate of contraceptive use. Investment in family planning is not growing at the same rate as population and women’s increasing desires to plan their family size. Furthermore, notes Benson, cost, geographic and other barriers too often stand in the way of women obtaining contraceptive services to reduce rates of unwanted pregnancy.
“Women who have abortions clearly do not want to be pregnant,” she explained. “Health systems should offer safe, legal abortion to prevent abortion complications. At the same time, women should also receive information and contraceptive methods to break the vicious cycle of repeat unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion.”
Exceptions to the stalled abortion rates can be found in regions and countries where abortion laws have been liberalized. Ipas has assisted governments and health-care providers in a number of these countries to implement new practice protocols. In South Africa, the proportion of induced abortions that are unsafe fell steadily following the implementation of a liberal abortion law in 1997 and work by Ipas to train and equip health-care providers. Over the next decade, deaths from unsafe abortion fell by 91 percent.
A similar trend seems to be occurring in Nepal, where the proportion of women treated for pregnancy-related complications due to unsafe abortion dropped from 54 percent to 28 percent between 1998 and 2009 in health facilities, according to the Ministry of Health. Abortion was legalized there in 2002, and Ipas has been assisting the government as they extend safe abortion care throughout the rural, mountainous country.
“Unsafe abortion is a major – and entirely preventable — public health crisis,” said Ipas President & CEO Elizabeth Maguire at the International Conference on Family Planning recently. “But eliminating it requires a comprehensive, holistic approach” incorporating family planning, postabortion care and safe, legal abortion.
For more information, contact media@ipas.org