An increasing number of women in various countries die from complications related to unsafe abortions performed by unskilled medical personnel.
This is a result of the criminalization of abortion in many countries, where the majority impose penalties of 0 to 5 years of imprisonment on those who seek abortions, with some penalties even higher. This has often deterred women and girls from seeking safe abortions, exposing them to increased health risks and potential death.
In Uganda, 25% of women who die following an abortion do so as a result of unsafe abortions and related complications.
On September 25, 2024, ahead of the international Day of safe abortion, Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media), Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), and CNS, co-hosted an online Sexual Health with Equity (SHE) and Rights initiative (SHE & Rights initiative) to increase media understanding and engagement around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) particularly abortion care with the lens of equity and right to health, during September 2024 to March 2025.
According to the Coordinator of SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity and Rights) Media Initiative, Shobha Shukla, violations of bodily autonomy when a lack of choice and decision making leads to unplanned pregnancy, or to unsafe abortion that is a leading yet totally preventable cause of maternal mortality and morbidity.
She added that six out of 10 unplanned pregnancies end in induced abortion, and around 45% of these abortions are unsafe.
“The next year 2025 marks 30 years since Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was signed in 1995. It highlighted the impact of unsafe abortion on women’s lives and health, and the need to reduce recourse to abortion through expanded family planning services. Governments need to walk the talk on the promises for gender equality and human rights with equity and justice,” Shobha emphasised.
In the same way, the Global lead for abortion at the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Melissa Cockcroft, explained that Induced abortion in common is estimated that 73 million induced abortions occur worldwide annually. According to Melissa, around 61% (or 1 in 6) unintended pregnancies end in induced abortion , so these are pregnancies that were not planned and 29% (or 3 in 10) of all pregnancies end in abortion globally. So, “Quite a significant number of both- unintended and intended pregnancies end in abortion around the world,” She said.
Melissa further noted that it is estimated that every year 29,000 pregnant people, women and girls die from unsafe abortion and 7 million are injured or disabled due to unsafe abortion worldwide and unsafe abortion also leads to social and financial burdens for women, communities and health systems.
More than half of all unsafe abortions occur in Asia, most of them in south and central Asia. In Latin America and Africa, the majority (approximately 3 out of 4) of all abortions are unsafe. In Africa, nearly half of all abortions occurred under the least safe circumstances. But what is perhaps most devastating is that deaths due to unsafe abortion are entirely preventable. It is lack of access to safe, timely, affordable and respectful abortion care that leads to these preventable maternal deaths,” said Melissa Cockcroft.
The Deputy Director for the Women’s Probono Initiative in Uganda, Rose Wakikona, stated that in Uganda, abortion is criminalized with penalties of over seven years in prison, which discourages women from seeking safe abortions at health centers.
She added that this has led to increased mortality rates, as women and girls turn to traditional birth attendants for abortions, resulting in complications due to poor services. Consequently, unsafe abortions have increased by 75%.
