Press Release: 10.15.07
Study Shows that Abortion Declines Worldwide, Especially Where Abortion Is Legal
According to a study as published by the medical journal, The Lancet, the number of induced abortions worldwide declined from nearly 46 million to under 42 million between 1995 and 2003. The number of abortions fell most significantly in Eastern Europe, a trend that corresponds with increased access and use of contraception, according to "Induced Abortion: Rates and Trends Worldwide," a new report by the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO) published in the October 13, 2007 issue of The Lancet.
The study notes that for every 1,000 women of childbearing age (15-44) worldwide, 29 were estimated to have had an induced abortion in 2003, compared with 35 in 1995. The decline was most substantial in Europe, where the rate fell from 48 to 28 abortions per 1,000 women, largely because of dramatic declines in Eastern Europe.
The abortion rate decreased more in developed countries where abortion is generally safe and legal.
"We need to help women and couples prevent unintended pregnancy by increasing the availability of birth control - not restricting access," said Planned Parenthood President and CEO Sarah Stoesz. "Criminalizing abortion does not eliminate abortion. It simply makes it unsafe, unregulated and drives it underground, making it even more difficult for women who face unintended pregnancy to get the health care they need, including access to contraception," Stoesz said.
The study also found that an estimated 20 million unsafe abortions occurred in 2003, 97% of these in developing regions. The prevalence of unsafe abortion is still high - up to 39 unsafe abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 in Eastern Africa. Developed regions, where almost all countries allow abortion, had an average unsafe abortion rate of two per 1,000. Each year, about 70,000 women die due to unsafe abortion and an additional five million suffer permanent or temporary disability.
For more information:
Fact sheet on induced abortion worldwide (pdf)
