Top 10 countries by abortion rates in 2023 năm 2024
|
WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Making health for all a reality, and moving towards the progressive realization of human rights, requires that all individuals have access to quality health care, including comprehensive abortion care services – which includes information, management of abortion, and post-abortion care. Lack of access to safe, timely, affordable and respectful abortion care poses a risk to not only the physical, but also the mental and social, well-being of women and girls. Induced abortion is a simple and common health-care procedure. Each year, almost half of all pregnancies – 121 million – are unintended; 6 out of 10 unintended pregnancies and 3 out of 10 of all pregnancies end in induced abortion. Abortion is safe when carried out using a method recommended by WHO, appropriate to the pregnancy duration and by someone with the necessary skills. However, when women with unwanted pregnancies face barriers to obtaining quality abortion, they often resort to unsafe abortion. Ensuring that women and girls have access to abortion care that is evidence-based – which includes being safe, respectful and non-discriminatory – is fundamental to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relating to good health and well-being (SDG3) and gender equality (SDG5). Restricting access to abortion does not reduce the number of abortions; however, it dramatically affects whether abortions attained are safe. Nearly half of all abortions are unsafe, and developing countries bear the burden of 97% of these unsafe abortions. Globally, unsafe abortions account for 4.7–13.2% of all maternal deaths, disproportionately affecting people in developing regions. Moreover, each year an estimated 7 million women in developing countries are treated in hospital facilities for complications from unsafe abortion. Barriers to safe, timely, geographically reachable, affordable, respectful and non-discriminatory abortion care can cause emotional distress and violate women’s and girls’ right to privacy; right to equality and non-discrimination; and right to be free from torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment. It also has financial and social implications for people and communities including negatively impacting women’s and girls’ possibilities to obtain education and full and effective participation in society. Abortion regulations that force people to travel to attain legal care, or that require mandatory counselling or waiting periods, burden health systems and can result in women experiencing travel costs, loss of income or the need to resort to unsafe abortion. A disproportionate share of resources is used for post-abortion care: in developing countries, treatments of complications of unsafe abortion cost health systems US$ 553 million per year, while households experience US$ 922 million in income loss due to disabilities. Abortion can be safely and effectively performed in a range of settings and by a variety of people, including different types of health workers, and in early pregnancy by the woman herself. Person-centred, equitable and accessible abortion care supports efficient use of resources and enables women to attain care in line with their values, preferences and circumstances. This is supported by well functioning health systems; availability and accessibility of information; and respect for human rights within a supportive framework of law and policy. Ensuring that safe and dignified abortion care is attainable in practice by all who need it implies, among other things, that The information in this fact sheet is based on Bearak J et al., Unintended pregnancy and abortion by income, region, and the legal status of abortion: estimates from a comprehensive model for 1990–2019, Lancet Global Health, 2020, 8(9):e1152–e1161, https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30315-6. Rates and trends in this fact sheet were re-estimated using a revised data set, available on OSF; revised estimates are available at the Guttmacher Data Center. AcknowledgmentsThis fact sheet was made possible by a grant from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by UK Aid from the UK Government. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions and policies of the donors. Context: Accurate measurement of induced abortion levels has proven difficult in many parts of the world. Health care workers and policymakers need information on the incidence of both legal and illegal induced abortion to provide the needed services and to reduce the negative impact of unsafe abortion on women's health. Methods: Numbers and rates of induced abortions were estimated from four sources: official statistics or other national data on legal abortions in 57 countries; estimates based on population surveys for two countries without official statistics; special studies for 10 countries where abortion is highly restricted; and worldwide and regional estimates of unsafe abortion from the World Health Organization. Results: Approximately 26 million legal and 20 million illegal abortions were performed worldwide in 1995, resulting in a worldwide abortion rate of 35 per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Among the subregions of the world, Eastern Europe had the highest abortion rate (90 per 1,000) and Western Europe to the lowest rate (11 per 1,000). Among countries where abortion is legal without restriction as to reason, the highest abortion rate, 83 per 1,000, was reported for Vietnam and the lowest, seven per 1,000, for Belgium and the Netherlands. Abortion rates are no lower overall in areas where abortion is generally restricted by law (and where many abortions are performed under unsafe conditions) than in areas where abortion is legally permitted. Conclusions: Both developed and developing countries can have low abortion rates. Most countries, however, have moderate to high abortion rates, reflecting lower prevalence and effectiveness of contraceptive use. Stringent legal restrictions do not guarantee a low abortion rate. PubMed Disclaimer Similar articles
Cited by
Comparison Between Effect of Letrozole Plus Misoprostol and Misoprostol Alone in Terminating Non-Viable First Trimester Pregnancies: A Single Blind Randomized Trial. |
