Despite abortion laws, 66% of Indians use unsafe route
Kounteya Sinha, TNN |
Jan 19, 2012, 08.27AM IST
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NEW DELHI: Unsafe abortions have become rampant in India. The country recorded 6.5 million abortions in 2008 of which 66% or two-thirds were deemed unsafe.
India also recorded the major chunk of the abortions that took place in the region (south and central Asia) - 6.5 million of the total 10.5 million.
In this region, for every one lakh abortions, 200 women died of it. These are the findings of the latest global abortion figures released by theWorld Health Organization along with Guttmacher Institute, New York.
Published in the medical journal "The Lancet" on Thursday, the study says there were 2.2 million more abortions in 2008 (43.8 million) as compared to 2003 (41.6 million). Globally, the abortion rate was 28 per 1,000, virtually unchanged since 2003.
However, the proportion of abortions deemed unsafe rose from 44% in 1995 to 49% in 2008. Abortions in the developing world have increased from 78% of all abortions in 1995 to 86% by 2008. Since 2003, the number of abortions fell by 0.6 million in the developed world, but increased by 2.8 million in developing countries.
Speaking to TOI from London, lead author Dr Gilda Sedgh from the Guttmacher Institute, said, "Abortion is legal in India and the services are much safer that many other developing countries. But for some reason, women choosing to abort are not taking advantage of this liberal law. They are also getting abortions done in unsafe clinics. That is why a good measure of abortions in India is unsafe"
She added, "There is a tremendous need for the country's family planning programme to spreadawareness for safe abortions and also push for increased use of contraception and use of safe abortion services."
According to her, 13% of all maternal deaths in the south and central Asia region are due to unsafe abortions. Unsafe abortion is defined by the WHO as a procedure for terminating a pregnancy that is performed by an individual lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both.
The estimated worldwide proportion of pregnancies that end in abortion has been fairly stable over time, at 22% in 1995, 20% (2003) and 21% (2008).
In the developed world, abortion declined as a proportion of all pregnancies from 36% in 1995 to 26% in 2008. It held steady at 19%-20% of pregnancies in the developing world.
Dr Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, said, "These latest figures are deeply disturbing. The progress made in the 1990s is now in reverse. Promoting and implementing policies to reduce the number of abortions is now an urgent priority for all countries and for global health agencies, such as the WHO. Condemning, stigmatizing and criminalizing abortion are failed strategies. It's time for a public health approach that emphasizes reducing harm -and that means more liberal abortion laws."
The authors note also that in 2008, the abortion rate was lower in sub-regions, where large proportions of the female population lived under liberal laws, than in sub-regions, where restrictive abortion laws prevailed.
For example, the abortion rate is 29 per 1,000 women of childbearing age in Africa and 32 per 1,000 in Latin America - regions in which abortion is illegal under most circumstances in the majority of countries. The rate is 12 per 1,000 in Western Europe and 19 in north America, where abortion is usually permitted.
According to the India's health ministry data, the number of induced abortions has started to dip in India. However, in absolute numbers, India in 2008 saw 6.41 lakh abortions across 12, 510 institutions, approved to carry out medical termination of pregnancy (MTP).
According to the Family Welfare Statistics in India 2009, India recorded 7.25 lakh MTPs in 2005, 7.21 lakh (2006) and 6.82 lakh induced abortions (2007). According to the 2008 figures, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of MTPs - 89,194 followed by Tamil Nadu (63,875), Odisha (59,945), Assam (58,409) and Maharashtra (54,545).
The Lancet study concluded, "The substantial decline in the abortion rate observed earlier has stalled, and the proportion of all abortions that are unsafe has increased. Restrictive abortion laws are not associated with lower abortion rates. Measures to reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion, including investments in family planning services and safe abortion care, are crucial steps toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
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NEW DELHI: Unsafe abortions have become rampant in India. The country recorded 6.5 million abortions in 2008 of which 66% or two-thirds were deemed unsafe.
India also recorded the major chunk of the abortions that took place in the region (south and central Asia) - 6.5 million of the total 10.5 million.
In this region, for every one lakh abortions, 200 women died of it. These are the findings of the latest global abortion figures released by theWorld Health Organization along with Guttmacher Institute, New York.
Published in the medical journal "The Lancet" on Thursday, the study says there were 2.2 million more abortions in 2008 (43.8 million) as compared to 2003 (41.6 million). Globally, the abortion rate was 28 per 1,000, virtually unchanged since 2003.
However, the proportion of abortions deemed unsafe rose from 44% in 1995 to 49% in 2008. Abortions in the developing world have increased from 78% of all abortions in 1995 to 86% by 2008. Since 2003, the number of abortions fell by 0.6 million in the developed world, but increased by 2.8 million in developing countries.
Speaking to TOI from London, lead author Dr Gilda Sedgh from the Guttmacher Institute, said, "Abortion is legal in India and the services are much safer that many other developing countries. But for some reason, women choosing to abort are not taking advantage of this liberal law. They are also getting abortions done in unsafe clinics. That is why a good measure of abortions in India is unsafe"
She added, "There is a tremendous need for the country's family planning programme to spreadawareness for safe abortions and also push for increased use of contraception and use of safe abortion services."
According to her, 13% of all maternal deaths in the south and central Asia region are due to unsafe abortions. Unsafe abortion is defined by the WHO as a procedure for terminating a pregnancy that is performed by an individual lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both.
The estimated worldwide proportion of pregnancies that end in abortion has been fairly stable over time, at 22% in 1995, 20% (2003) and 21% (2008).
In the developed world, abortion declined as a proportion of all pregnancies from 36% in 1995 to 26% in 2008. It held steady at 19%-20% of pregnancies in the developing world.
Dr Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, said, "These latest figures are deeply disturbing. The progress made in the 1990s is now in reverse. Promoting and implementing policies to reduce the number of abortions is now an urgent priority for all countries and for global health agencies, such as the WHO. Condemning, stigmatizing and criminalizing abortion are failed strategies. It's time for a public health approach that emphasizes reducing harm -and that means more liberal abortion laws."
The authors note also that in 2008, the abortion rate was lower in sub-regions, where large proportions of the female population lived under liberal laws, than in sub-regions, where restrictive abortion laws prevailed.
For example, the abortion rate is 29 per 1,000 women of childbearing age in Africa and 32 per 1,000 in Latin America - regions in which abortion is illegal under most circumstances in the majority of countries. The rate is 12 per 1,000 in Western Europe and 19 in north America, where abortion is usually permitted.
According to the India's health ministry data, the number of induced abortions has started to dip in India. However, in absolute numbers, India in 2008 saw 6.41 lakh abortions across 12, 510 institutions, approved to carry out medical termination of pregnancy (MTP).
According to the Family Welfare Statistics in India 2009, India recorded 7.25 lakh MTPs in 2005, 7.21 lakh (2006) and 6.82 lakh induced abortions (2007). According to the 2008 figures, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of MTPs - 89,194 followed by Tamil Nadu (63,875), Odisha (59,945), Assam (58,409) and Maharashtra (54,545).
The Lancet study concluded, "The substantial decline in the abortion rate observed earlier has stalled, and the proportion of all abortions that are unsafe has increased. Restrictive abortion laws are not associated with lower abortion rates. Measures to reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion, including investments in family planning services and safe abortion care, are crucial steps toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
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