Every minute, across the world, 80 voluntary abortions take place

[12 October 2007 - 17h35]

The figure may seem staggering but it is (unfortunately) verifiable: on average, 9 out of 10 women worldwide have had, are having or will have to resort to abortion during the course of their life, regardless of whether this voluntary pregnancy interruption (VPI) is with or without medical assistance. And making the practice illegal will do nothing to reduce it. Indeed, quite the reverse. The majority of VPIs in fact take place in countries where abortion has not been legalised.

In the most recent issue of The Lancet, published this morning and devoted to women’s health, Dr Gilda Sedgh of the Guttmacher Institute (New York) and Iqbal Shah of the WHO, present an important meta-analysis on the subject. Their conclusions are edifying.

Of the 42 million abortions carried out each year worldwide … 35 million take place in developing countries. In 2003, 48% of all VPIs were carried out without any medical assistance, which is a 4 points (nearly 10 percent!) increase since 1995. As the authors point out, “while in developed countries 92% of VPIs are carried out in good (technical) conditions, this is far from true for 55% of those that take place in developing countries”. Which means that 97% of VPIs carried out in the worst possible conditions are carried out in these countries!

It is also interesting to note to what extent abortion and contraception are linked. While in 2003 there were 31 abortions for every 100 births in the world, the VPI record is held – with 105 VPIs per 100 births! – by the old countries of eastern Europe. Although this figure is on the decrease … by 50% on the period 1995-2003. The authors attribute this progress to the fact that women in these countries have, since that time, finally got access to modern means of contraception.

Source : The Lancet, 11 October 2007

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