Plateau Reached in Reducing Worldwide Abortion Rate
New research from the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that while global abortion rates continue to decline, progress has stalled. According to the new study, titled “Induced Abortion: Incidence and Trends Worldwide from 1995 to 2008,” the global abortion rate in 2008 was virtually unchanged, at 28 per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15-44 years). By contrast, from 1995 to 2003, the overall number of abortions per 1,000 women dropped from 35 to 29. The researchers also point out that this plateau coincides with a UN-documented slowdown in contraceptive uptake, and is especially marked in developing countries. Abortion rates continue to be higher in the developing world (29 per 1,000 in both 2003 and 2008) than in developed countries, such as in Europe where the rate was much lower (17 per 1,000 in 2008). In addition, Guttmacher and the WHO pointed out that unsafe abortion continued to account for an estimated 13% of maternal deaths worldwide in 2008.
To read more about the report, which was recently published online by The Lancet, click here.
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