Ipas > Unsafe abortion hits hard in Brazil

Unsafe abortion hits hard in Brazil

August 23, 2007

Every year in Brazil, nearly 250,000 women and girls are hospitalized by complications from an unsafe abortion.

Every year in Brazil, nearly 250,000 women and girls are hospitalized by complications from an unsafe abortion. Although abortion is a crime in Brazil – legally permitted only to save a woman’s life or in cases of rape – hundreds of thousands of women seek abortions annually. These abortions are often performed by unskilled providers or without proper medical supervision. The problem is so widespread that even President Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva and Minister of Health José Gomes Temporão have acknowledged unsafe abortion to be a major public health issue and called for a review of the abortion laws.

A recent study by Ipas and the Institute of Social Medicine at the University of Rio de Janeiro measured the magnitude of abortion in Brazil to learn more about where and for whom unsafe abortion is a grave health risk. It is the first study in more than a decade to examine the impact of unsafe abortion in Brazil, and it comes at an important time, when public discourse about abortion is increasing. The investigators examined Ministry of Health hospital records from 1992 to 2005 and came away with some significant findings that Ipas Brazil hopes will inform the debate.

Although the incidence of abortion has declined in the past decade, three out of every 10 pregnancies end in abortion.
The 250,000 hospitalized each year for complications of unsafe abortion are likely just the tip of the iceberg. For every woman who is admitted to a hospital, there are four who do not require or seek medical care.
There are significant differences in abortion rates regionally, with the highest rates coming from states in the North and Northeast. This part of the country is typically poorer, more rural and more socially conservative, with limited access to healthcare services. The population in the North (encompassing the Amazon River basin) includes more indigenous communities, while in the Northeast, on the coast, there is a larger black population.
The states of Acre and Amapá have the highest abortion rates, with more than 40 abortions for every 1,000 women aged 10-49. The abortion rates in states in the South and Midwest are significantly lower, generally under 20 abortions for every 1,000 women. This part of the country tends to be somewhat wealthier than the north.
Black women are particularly at risk for unsafe abortions, more than other racial groups. And while white, black and brown women are at relatively equal risk for other causes of maternal mortality, maternal mortality caused by unsafe abortion is significantly higher for black women than for the other groups. Almost 11 percent of maternal deaths among black women are caused by unsafe abortion, compared with 7.4 percent for white women and 9.8 percent for brown (white, black and brown are racial designations used by the Brazilian government).
Adolescents are also at particular risk for unsafe abortion, particularly in the North and Northeast. More than 18 percent of people hospitalized for unsafe abortion are 15-19 years old.

Dr. Leila Adesse, Country Director for Ipas Brazil, sees prevention as key to addressing unsafe abortion: "If we are to reduce deaths and injuries from unsafe abortion, we must guarantee access to family planning education and services.”

The study concludes that more research is needed to better understand the causes of such widespread incidence of unsafe abortions and what causes the significant differences between regions, age groups and races.

But one clear conclusion is that restrictive abortion laws do not prevent abortion; they just drive the practice underground, making it more dangerous. For this reason, the Minister of Health and President Lula have called for a review the Brazilian abortion law in the parliament and among the general public.

“This study is even more important now as Brazil finds itself at a crossroads; unsafe abortion is a health problem and has to be faced as such,” said Dr. Adesse. “It’s encouraging that politicians might support a change in the law."

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258