Monday, January 23, 2012

Rate of Abortion Is Highest in Countries Where Practice Is Banned

THE INDEPENDENT: In Africa and Latin America researchers found that 95 to 97 per cent of abortions were unsafe

Abortion rates are higher in countries where the procedure is illegal and nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe, with the vast majority in developing countries, a new study concludes.

Experts could not say whether more liberal laws led to fewer procedures, but said good access to birth control in those countries resulted in fewer unwanted pregnancies.

The global abortion rate remained virtually unchanged from 2003 to 2008, at about 28 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, a total of about 43.8 million abortions, according to the study. The rate had previously been dropping since 1995. » | Maria Cheng | Friday, January 20, 2012