Every 8 minutes a woman dies needlessly as a result of an unsafe illegal abortion.
Geri Santoro
Induced abortion is one of the most performed medical interventions. Making abortion illegal does not reduce the number of abortions. 20 million of the 42 million abortions performed annually are illegal and unsafe. Legalization of abortion can prevent unnecessary suffering and death of women.
Worldwide more than 1/3 of all pregnancies are unplanned. Every year nearly 1/4 of all pregnant women worldwide choose to have an abortion. The legal status of abortion makes little difference to overall levels of abortion incidence. Where illegal, most abortions are done with unsafe methods. Where illegal, it is primarily women without financial means who take recourse to unsafe abortion methods, resulting in the death of a woman every 8 minutes.
At the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, unsafe abortion was recognized as a major public health problem. The WHO estimates that 20 million of the 42 million pregnancies which are terminated by induced abortion every year are performed under unsafe conditions and in an adverse social and legal climate, resulting in approximately 70,000 deaths each year due to infection, hemorrhages, uterine injury and the toxic effects of agents taken to induce abortion.
At this moment approximately 25% of the world population lives in 54 countries (mainly in Africa, Latin America and Asia) with highly restrictive laws that either ban abortion entirely or permit it only to save the life of the pregnant women.
The poorer women are, the more likely it is that, faced with unwanted pregnancy, they will provoke an abortion themselves or go to a person without medical training, increasing health risks and the risk of hospitalization due to complications. Availability of safe and above all affordable abortion will also have implications for the future financial situation of such women and/or their families and can therefore be considered part of the struggle against poverty.
Rumania provides a unique case study of the factors that influence the use of unsafe abortion: in 1966 legal abortion was restricted and the abortion-related maternal mortality rate increased sharply, ten times higher than the average for the rest of Europe; in 1989 abortion was again made available on request and the number of maternal deaths fell sharply. By contrast the Netherlands has the lowest reported abortion rate because of a non-restrictive abortion law within a comprehensive framework that includes universal sex education in schools and easily accessible family planning services and the provision of emergency contraception. Of the 29,266 abortions performed there in 1997, the complication rate for first trimester treatments was 0,3% with no resulting deaths whatsoever.
Restrictive abortion laws violate women’s human rights based on agreements made at the UN International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 1 & 3 &12 &19 & 27.1).
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this article originally appeared on womenonwaves.org
December 4th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
abortion is retareded. whoever does it is stupid because if u werent sleepin around u wouldnt have been stuck with the baby in the first place. dont take away an innocent life for ur stupid mistake!!!!!
December 9th, 2009 at 3:52 am
people like u r ignorant everybody has different situations i have a 3 yr old and i have a lung disease after having him i was so excited but i was on life support for the first 5 and a half months of his life, the doctors guaranteed me another one would kill me.after work one night i stopped at the gas statio for some milk and a man came out of the bathroom and raped me, then a month later i found out i was pregnant, it was either my life or the babys life that might not even make it anyhow, and i had a child alive i had to live for to take care of everybody has a story but judgemental people like you think your way is the only right way!
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:07 pm
fuck all the bitches who have abortions u should just give the its life and give it up for adoption!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:48 pm
its clear that brenda is adopted..there is therapy for you out there..and last but not least medication…lots and lots of it..
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:41 am
if you haven’t been there then just shut up. you know nothing about any of the situations that bring on abortion. and its not fuck all the bitches who have abortions – its fuck all the bitches who didn’t have abortions when they should have. the is a reason people end up as rapists and murders – BAD PARENTING! So if you have never been in a situation where abortion was necessary – yes – then just get lost and talk about something you are experienced with.
February 24th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
abortion is wrong. abourtion is murder.. youre alive.. so if you have the right to live dont you think YOUR BABY shouldd….
late term abortions are more than wrongg.. theyy aree more than murderr.. how would you like to have sissors shovedd through the back of your head then yourr brains suckedd outt..
babies can feel that in many cases the baby squirms in pain until the brain is sucked out…
i doubtt it!
ABORTION IS VERY WRONG.. AND ITS ALSO MURDER AND A CRUEL WAY TO DIEE.
March 1st, 2010 at 9:14 pm
My 15 year old sister found out she was pregnant today…6 weeks along and she is scared. My father is making her get an abortion because he is concerned about money and her education…personally i think she is making the wrong choice. Abortion may take away all your problems…but simply dont make you feel any better. You brought them into this world..you should be responsible.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:33 am
I work for a perinatologist (a high risk pregnancy doctor) and it amazes me at how many careless women are out there. I understand unplanned pregnancies and I even comprehend adoption. However, I do not agree with abortion. I am not here to judge nor am I better than the rest because I have a different opinion about this topic, but abortion is inexcusable. Rape is a different situation and is a little more forgiving. There are so many ignorant women who use abortion as a form of birth control or as an easy way out. Be grown, handle your business and be a women. You weren’t denying the sex you had to create such a wonderful thing, so why deny your own flesh and blood? The worst case I saw was a women aborting her baby at 29 weeks simply because it was a girl and she wanted a boy. Who are these people that think they can play God? It is entirely disturbing and cruel to think that a person could do such a thing without a second thought. May God have mercy on their souls.
March 6th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
weird story melissa..you work in china? in my country (which is not always the finest example even in case of abortion) abortion is only allowed in the early stage of pregnancy (first 3 months) i do agree with you;abortion is horrible. and sometimes one wonders about the motives of the women. but abortion should be legal under strikt guidelines (early stage of pregnancy),and it should never be up to any of us,to judge the women or their motives. am prolife too;i just think that prolife should be about the quality rather then the quantity .
where is your god,when it comes to inoculations,giving medication in case of sickness,fighting cancer,etc,etc..its ok,then to play god? it seems that god steps in at the moments where people need to listen or to be surpressed in their own choices or be masters of their own bodies ,like women and the right to be in control of their wombs…start spreading out condoms and start with sexeducation at all the schools..(am sure it will reduce abortion)
ah btw;ive worked as an assistent to midwifes (love babies,and helping new mothers and fathers was great)and am a proud mother;i can tell you however;if by any chance i would find out im pregnant,i will have an abortion..no need to tell my motives,reasons..whatsoever
March 12th, 2010 at 7:51 am
people…..people…please… we are not here to talk about god. if you wanna do that start another blog. don’t try to act like your opinion is more righteous than the next, after all its just your opinion. who is to say what is right or wrong. I’m very pro-life. i have two beautiful children and neither where planned. for a raped women it might be tough to make that decision. so i don’t think i could judge. however i think it to be immoral to use abortion as a contraceptive. years ago women where forced to have as many children as “god” would give. contraceptives did not exist and it was a sin to think of abortion. Those same women fought for their right to use contraceptives. now that women have the right as well as the contraceptives they aren’t using them. that’s insane if you ask me. and you might say that a women’s choice to have an abortion does not affect anyone but it can and it does. hundreds of women who have abortions get them trough programs that are funded by tax payers. tax payers like you and me. before a person engages in sexual intercourse that person should be aware of the consequences. have you people seen the abortion pictures on the web. how is that justifiable? that “zygote” since its “not yet a living child, but a leech or parasite” as the scientists and pro-choice supporters call it, has a heart beat 21 days after conception. can you believe they call it the “parasitic stage” ? your parents didn’t burn your skin with salt…. or twist your body till your bones broke ….or rip you apart with a vacuum…. so why should you do it to your child? just because we have such freedoms doesn’t give us the right to abuse them.
March 12th, 2010 at 8:03 am
and to you andrea….. you gave one child birth, but would deny the next one life? you would kill your child’s sibling? even if it where your mistake? instead of thinking about abortions think about contraceptives….. unless they’re against your religion.
you love your child dearly i assume…. then maybe you should do some research on the methods and risks of legal abortion. legal abortions are “safer” and with less probability of death but the risk still remains… since your a mother i’m sure you are mature enough to know about responsibility. so before spreading those legs put a night cap on ur mans one eyed monster…. entiendes chica….?!?!?!??!?
that way u wont have abortion as an option….
March 12th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
dearest yessie
first of all:excuse my crappy english..english aint my native tongue/language..i assumed that with;sexeducation i meant the whole shebang. from sexeducation to access to contraceptives.
second:i am not religious. (”religion is the opiate of the people/masses”-marx)
its a pity you put so much effort in trying to insult me,then actually trying to read my comment (despite the level of crappy english)
abortion is an extreme solution,but one that should be the right of women worldwide;done under strikt medical conditions.
i am so tired of living in a world,where women are nothing. am tired of backdated cultures,backdated opinions,double standards concerning sexuality,etc..women must have the right to contraceptives and abortion
yessie;educate yourself,instead of trying to come up with witty insults..its ok with me;i have got plenty of time to respond to each insult..c’mon humor me..or insead spend your time better;google abortion,women,womenrights,inpact of religion on women,etc,etc,etc..educate yourself a bit
http://www.womenonwaves.org/set-458-en.html
March 12th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
instead with a t..not only a poor level of english,but am also typing this on miniscule asus laptop (the t’s are acting out weird..hhhmm!)
March 19th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
you dum bitchez i think abortions are dangerouse and stupied because if u want to be sleeping and hoeing in it..and haveing sex with out protection then the same way ur getting laid and opeing ur legs then the same way u should take responsibilty for your actions that you cause cuz thats not right taking away some one elses life!
March 19th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
how bitchy women can be to each other, we have to unite ladies, where is the power if it’s scattered all around.
i never had an abortion. I fell pregnant twice and my second born was stillborn.
destiny takes it’s own course.
i will never judge a person who considers abortion, nor do i judge what destiny throws upon us.
maybe female is the weaker sex because we are always bitchy.
March 22nd, 2010 at 5:49 pm
I am angered by the assumption that all women who get pregnant are “stupid/slutty/bitches”. For one, why would we want a generation of children to be raised by a bunch of ignorant sluts? I think this is just a lie people tell themselves so they can be hateful towards women in bad situations. I’ve never had an abortion. I practice safe/protected sex with my one partner and have only had to take the morning-after pill twice since 2007. But contraception and emergency-contraception still can fail and if it did I would have an abortion and WOULDN’T feel guilty about it. My life, not yours. period.
April 23rd, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Anyone noticing a trend with a lot of these pro-life comments?
Way to demonstrate your lack of understanding of the subject.
April 28th, 2010 at 6:54 am
well Ms. B enlighten me???
April 28th, 2010 at 6:58 am
by the way B havent you notice the por-choice with a similar “trend”.
April 28th, 2010 at 7:24 am
To Andrea:
If you took my comment as an insult that is your problem. Do me a favor and stop acting like a smart ass.You say you love children and then turn around and say that if you were pregnant you would have an abortion? Are you bi-polar? If you want people to understand your point of view than try to explain it in a more detailed way. Ive written research papers on the differences of both comprehensive sex education and abstinence only programs in public school’s, so i think i have a good idea about contraceptives and such.I’m not saying abortion should be banned, but i think there should be stricter laws for it. Too many people take advantage of the system.Your starting to sound like a feminist, not that that’s a bad thing. I understand what you mean. Women are belittle by men, the media etc,etc. But i also think that thinking that way is victimizing the female gender. i truly think we have the power to change the image people have of women, but before we can do that we have to tell the rest of the women who don’t think they have value to stop ruining it for the rest of us!
May 1st, 2010 at 11:12 am
..”to stop ruining it for the rest of us”-and you call me:bi-polar. i believe that the rest of you/us is called:dissociative identity disorder
yessie i hate to be the smartass (well i dont actually )..but before i leave any information for you,how to handle your dissociative identity disorder..you know providing information and such. I just like to know this;am i dealing with the mr hyde or the dr.jekyll version of you/us,right now..because i do tend to get scared with agressive comments every now and then..but ofcourse you wouldnt be aware of that..would you (amnesia and loss of time;ring a bell??)
May 22nd, 2010 at 3:34 am
Wow! It took you much effort to write that comment didn’t it andrea? Sorry to say this girl, but your all burnt out! I think the funniest part was seeing how the “US” is the only thing out of that whole paragraph you could talk crap about. You’re such a loser!
May 25th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
I am always against abortion because it is a sin to kill an innocent child.’~*
May 25th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
btw yessie
you claim youve written papers,but in all of your comments you touch no rational ground. when someone writes something you dont agree with or not grasp its understanding you start using insults
in my previous comment i simply came down to your level for once. if that makes me a loser in your eyes,well so it be. coming from you,its a compliment. thanks
July 10th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
abortion should really be banned forever and those who do it should be jailed,`:
July 26th, 2010 at 8:42 am
I am 17 and yeah maybe I don’t know everything, but I do know that abortion is not right. If your raped or its a life or death situation then maybe that’s more understandable. But someone was talking about how some lady was getting an abortion because she found out it was a girl because she wanted a boy. How horrible can someone be???
July 28th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
people who have abortions are selfish, i know somepeople get raped, and end up pregnant and its not ideal but there is adoption, a heart starts beating 12 days after conception, you tell me that something with a heart isnt a life!!
July 30th, 2010 at 2:56 am
I would say ABORTIONS are based solely on CHOICE! Like all other choices we make everyday, there are those choices which require alot of time to think upon, ( buying a big house, getting married, having a baby ect) and there are those we never think on,act of the moment, reason be damn moments, actions that may have positive outcome or negative. it depends on ones look on the situation.
I would never condone abortion, a baby is a precious life and we have NO RIGHT to take away its life. But me being AGAINST ABORTION would NOT make me Force that belief on anyone.
We are all, as individuals solely responsible for our actions. We shouldn’t judge nor name call those who decide on abortion. Everyone has their story or reasons on such a big decision.
Top threes reason to abortion are negative impact on the mother’s life,relationship problems /unwillingness to be a single mother.Financial instability-I can respect that… Who would want to bring a child in this world if you weren’t able to afford the baby a decent home, meal. Everyone wants if Not the Best then the second best of everything in life for their child.
But having an abortion just because you did not agree on the sex of the child is just…unreasonable! an absolute abomination in every sense.
We can Protest with all our might against Abortion. But abortion has been with us through all ages, and i’m sure the very same problem we face now is what our ancestors from hundred and more years back have faced on a lower scale of course. As long as Man and Women are on Earth there will be Abortion. Just as there will be STD, death ect. It’s Inevitable. Such is the way of Life on Earth.
There is nothing we can do but to try teach our younger generation on safe/ protective sex, being responsible for your choices.
July 30th, 2010 at 3:39 am
Just to add:
With contraceptive pills and Condoms about, we just can’t relay 100% on either Sterilization should be considered.. IT”S SUCH a HUGE DECISION that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
But why deprive ones self of the Joy, Love, Family you get when you have a baby made between and your partner?
August 22nd, 2010 at 8:41 pm
we should ban all forms of abortion because it is not right to kill an unborn child”`~
December 4th, 2010 at 8:53 am
what i can say is that abortion is a sin and it should be deemed illegal by all means ‘-`
December 10th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
It’s good to see these whores dying such gruesome deaths… I’d rather abort them… Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha… I love it! Post more!
December 20th, 2010 at 12:53 am
for all the people who get abortions i am glad u guys die because you are killing an inocent child for no appirent reason!! just because you guys have sex and no u r going to aborte it then why in the hell did u do it in the first place! dumb asses! all i got to say is that if you are planning on having sex use a condom for protection or if u dont then make sure u actually want the baby