Unsafe Abortion and Women’s Health: Change and Liberalization

239 Pages·2015·0.98 MB·English

by  Colin Francome

Unsafe abortion and Women’s HealtH
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Unsafe abortion and
Women’s Health
Change and liberalization
Colin franCome
Middlesex University, UK
© Colin francome 2015
all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Colin francome has asserted his right under the Copyright, designs and Patents act, 1988,
to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by
ashgate Publishing limited ashgate Publishing Company
Wey Court east 110 Cherry street
Union road suite 3-1
farnham burlington, Vt 05401-3818
surrey, GU9 7Pt Usa
england
www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
francome, Colin.
Unsafe abortion and women’s health : change and liberalization / by Colin francome.
pages cm
includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4724-2761-8 (hardback) – ISBN 978-1-4724-2762-5 (ebook) –
ISBN 978-1-4724-2763-2 (epub) 1. Abortion. 2. Abortion – Law and legislation.
3. birth control. i. title.
HQ767.f7198 2014
362.1988'8–dc23
2013049432
ISBN 9781472427618 (hbk)
ISBN 9781472427625 (ebk – PDF)
ISBN 9781472427632 (ebk – ePUb)
Printed in the United Kingdom by Henry ling limited,
at the dorset Press, dorchester, dt1 1Hd
Contents
List of Tables vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xi
List of Abbreviations xiii
1 Introduction 1
2 Europe 19
3 Asia 53
4 Africa 93
5 Latin America and the Caribbean 133
6 Oceania 169
7 North America 177
8 Conclusions and Recommendations 191
Bibliography 203
Index 221
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List of Tables
1.1 Unmet need, met need and total demand for family planning (FP) 2
1.2 The number of abortions by region 3
2.1 Average number of births in 2013 19
2.2 Maternal and infant mortality rates 20
2.3 Maternal and infant mortality rates Southern and Western Europe 21
2.4 Romania: percentage of pregnancies ending in abortion (excluding
foetal deaths and miscarriage 41
2.5 Abortions and births in Russia 43
2.6 Abortions and births in Sweden 47
2.7 Abortions and births in Ukraine 48
3.1 Eastern and Southern Asia 54
3.2 South Central and Western Asia 55
4.1 Eastern and Middle African Countries 95
4.2 Northern, Southern and Western Africa 96
5.1 The 29 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (2011) 135
6.1 Oceania: maternal and infant mortality 169
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Preface
In 2008 it was estimated that 47,000 women died of unsafe abortions which is one
death in every eleven minutes.
Unsafe abortion is largely a problem of poverty. Most women in rich countries
can obtain safe abortions locally and others can travel to countries where abortion
is safe. In contrast, poor people have to face the vagaries of abortions occurring
outside safe, legal health services. This leads to 99 per cent of abortion deaths
occurring in poor countries.
Apart from the women who die there are numerous others who suffer illness.
There are those following religious doctrine who believe abstinence is the answer
to unwanted pregnancies. However, country by country evidence provided in this
book has yet to find a country where such a policy has proved effective.
Official figures suggest over four times as many women died from unsafe abortion
as were killed in all the terrorist attacks around the world. Yet, while terrorism
dominates the media and billions are spent hoping to prevent it, unsafe abortion
remains the silent killer.
The evidence shows that the countries with the lowest rates of abortion are the
Western European ones with legal operations backed up by good quality sex
education and contraception.
The Guttmacher Institute reported that over 200 million women were sexually
active, not wanting a pregnancy, yet not using contraception.
It is time to put women’s health before religious dogma and to provide safe legal
abortions worldwide.