NPR

Nearly Half of All Abortions Unsafe In Developing Countries

Gilda Sedgh, the author of a new study on global abortion, explains the difference between safe and unsafe abortions and what women in low-income countries will need to access safe procedures.
In India, a traditional midwife attempts to induce abortion by massaging herbs and oil on a woman's belly.

Of the 56 million annual abortions performed around the world, nearly half, or 25 million, posed some threat to the health or life of the woman. The vast majority of unsafe abortions – 97 percent — were performed in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Andabout half of those abortions in poor countries are unsafe, compared with just 12.5 percent inin last week's issue of , the British medical journal.

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