Abortion

Lecture 3
By
Sadat M (BSc, MPH/RH)
Email : sadatmom@gmail.com
Phone number : 0920 14 69 68
 Learning objectives

By the end of this lecture, you will

be able to:
• Define abortion concepts
• Understood magnitude of Abortions
• Discuss measures to reduce abortion related maternal
mortality and morbidity
• Understanding merits and demerits of Criminalization Of
Abortion

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 I. Abortion Concepts

• Abortion is expulsion of the fetus before it reaches viability (Termination

of pregnancy <20 WKS or <28 Wks)

• Abortion can be spontaneous or induced.

• Spontaneous abortions are those in which termination is not provoked
deliberately while in the induced one there is a deliberate interference
with the pregnancy for the sake of terminating it.

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 Abortion Concepts…

• Unsafe abortion is defined as a procedure for terminating pregnancy

either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment
lacking the minimal medical standards or both

• Fifteen percent of all pregnancies end in spontaneous abortions.

• It is estimated that 30 to 50 million induced abortions are performed
annually in the world and about half of these are performed illegally.

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 Uninten
ded Outcome
pregnan s
cies
Terminati
ons
Unwanted
(spontane
ous)

Terminati
Mistimed ons
(induced)

Births
(unintend
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ed) 11/08/2024 5
 Trend of abortion across
the world

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 Number of Induced Abortions

• An estimated 55.9 million abortions occur each

year

• 49.3 million in developing regions and 6.6 million

in developed regions.

• Regionally, the highest estimated abortion rate is

in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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 Abortion…Cont’d…

• Globally, the estimated annual number of abortions increased by 11%, from

50.2 million in 1990-1994 to 55.9 million in 2010-2019.

• The annual abortion rate rose by 28% in developing regions (from 38.4

million to 49.3 million), but fell by 44% in developed regions (from 11.8

million to 6.6 million)

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 Abortion…Cont’d…

• Every year in low- and middle-income countries,

7 million women are admitted to the hospital as

a result of unsafe abortions; however, many

more who need treatment do not

receive timely care.
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 Abortion…Cont’d…

World
All pregnancies
(million) 208.2
Unintended
41%

Europe
All pregnancies (million) 13.21
North America Unintended 44%
All pregnancies (million) 7.2
Unintended 48%
Asiaa
All pregnancies
Latin America/Caribbean (million) 118.8
All pregnancies (million) 17.1 Unintended
Unintended 58% 38%

Africa
All pregnancies Oceania
(million) 49.1 All pregnancies (million) 0.9
Unintended Unintended
39% 37%
Global Data 5
 73 million induced
abortions
each year

6 out of 10 (61%) of 3 out of 10 (29%) of all

unintended pregnancy end in pregnancies
an induced abortion
end in an induced abortion

Latin America/Caribbean 45% of all abortions

All pregnancies (million) 17.1 are unsafe
Unintended 58%
97% of unsafe abortion
took place in developing
countries

Global Data 5
Most Unintended Pregnancies Worldwide
Result in Unplanned Births or Abortions

Miscarriage
Unplanned birth
13% Abortion

38%

48%

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Unintended Pregnancy Is a Particular Concern
in Adolescents Worldwide
 Around the world, about 16 million girls
and women aged 15 to 19 years give
birth each year.
– Most of these pregnancies are unintended.

• Risk of maternal mortality is

highest in girls aged <15 years.

• Complications of pregnancy and

childbirth are the major cause of
death in adolescents girls in
developing countries

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 Consequences of the “Preventable Pandemic”
of Unsafe Abortions
• 47,000 Women around the world die due to unsafe abortions
• Acute trauma
1. Death (358,000 annually)
• Shock
• 30 women die for every 100 000 unsafe
• Organ failure
• In developing regions, that number rises to 220 deaths per
• Infections
100 000 unsafe abortions
• Future reproductive

2. Multiple potential complications problems

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 Common approaches to abortion regulation

• Unlike other essential health services, abortion is commonly

regulated to varying degrees through the criminal law in addition to
regulation under health-care law.

• Restrictive laws, policies and practices In many cases, introduces

delay in accessing abortion.

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 Legality of Abortions in Ethiopia
 Prior to 2005, the Ethiopian penal code only permitted abortion in cases
where a pregnancy endangered the life of the pregnant woman.
 However, in 2005 the penal code was amended to permit abortion under a
much broader set of circumstances:
 In case of rape; incest;
 Fetal impairment;

 If pregnancy continuation or birth would endanger the health or life of the woman
or fetus;
 If the woman has physical or mental disabilities; and

 If the woman was a minor who was physically or mentally unprepared for
childbirth.
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Restrictive Vs Un restrictive
abortion law

Which side are you, in terms of reducing

unsafe abortion practice and complications ?
WHY???
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 Expanding quality abortion care

• Evidence shows that restricting access to abortions does not reduce

the number of abortions.
• However, it does affect whether the abortions that women and girls
attain are safe and dignified.
• The proportion of unsafe abortions are significantly higher in
countries with highly restrictive abortion laws than in countries with
less restrictive laws .
•

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 Expanding quality abortion care

• The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that laws and

policies should enable adolescents to obtain safe abortion services.

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 The unusual relation between abortion
rates and abortion frequency

• Studies show that abortion rates are often higher in nations where
abortion is illegal than they are in nations where it is legal.

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 The unusual relation between abortion
rates and abortion frequency
• Women in developing and least-developed countries, who tend to
have decreased access to birth control and education, but who are
SO, which do you think come first?
more often the victims of sexual crimes, are three times more likely
to experience an unplanned
Ensure universalpregnancy.
access to FP methods &
• Yet, Decreasing Sexual violence,
93 % of the countries andrestrictive
with the most promoteabortion
sexual laws
education
are developing nations.
Or
Implementing Abortion Law

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Than
k You
53