Induced abortion: a world review, 1990

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Global Health Policy
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Worldwide trend towards liberalization of abortion laws observed over the past four years.
• Significant population segments live in countries with liberal abortion access (40%) or restricted access (25%).

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze global trends in abortion law liberalization and access.
• To report on worldwide abortion rates, demographics, and outcomes.
• To examine variations in abortion service provision and insurance coverage.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of global abortion law changes and statistics.
• Review of abortion rates and demographic data from various countries.
• Examination of abortion-related mortality and service delivery trends.

Main Results:

• 40% of the global population resides in countries where induced abortion is permitted on request.
• In 1987, an estimated 26-31 million legal and 10-22 million clandestine abortions occurred globally.
• Abortion rates vary widely, with increasing trends in some nations and declining trends in others.
• Demographics of women seeking abortions differ between Western and Eastern/developing countries.
• Legal abortion mortality is low (0.6 deaths/100,000 procedures) in developed nations.
• Abortion services are increasingly outpatient, and insurance coverage varies significantly, notably in the US.

Conclusions:

• Abortion law liberalization is an ongoing global trend, impacting a substantial portion of the world's population.
• Significant regional and national variations exist in abortion rates, demographics, and service accessibility.
• Healthcare policies, particularly insurance coverage for abortion, demonstrate considerable international disparity.