Healthcare Prof:
5 (1 votes)
Unsafe abortion is one with the “biggest wellness threats to women” in Africa, where 5.5 million girls per year risk their lives trying to terminate a pregnancy by drinking bleach, inserting sharp objects into the cervix or using other dangerous methods, Guttmacher Institute President and CEO Sharon Camp writes within the Guardian‘s “Poverty Matters.” Approximately 26,000 of these women die and another 1.7 million are hospitalized, even though many others experience complications but do not seek treatment, Camp states.
“The terrible toll of unsafe abortion goes well beyond the individual woman,” Camp continues, adding, “Losing their mother and caregiver devastates the lives of children and families, and losing a healthy woman’s many contributions to society weakens her community.” Clandestine abortion also drains public wellness resources, she writes, noting that African governments spend an average of $114 per unsafe abortion case, “yet per capita spending on health care averages just $48.”
Although several African nations have relaxed abortion restrictions, 90% of ladies of childbearing age live in places with limited or no access to safe abortion services, according to Camp. Fourteen African countries ban abortion in all circumstances, including if the woman’s life is in jeopardy. However, evidence shows that restricting abortion does not lower its incidence, only its safety, Camp writes. By contrast, within the six years since South Africa loosened its abortion laws, the number of females dying from unsafe abortion decreased by 50%.
Camp argues that African governments really should focus on preventing unplanned pregnancies, as 60% of African women who want to avoid becoming pregnant do not use effective family planning methods. Providing family planning services to all girls in sub-Saharan Africa who wish to avoid pregnancy would lower the number of unsafe abortions from 5.2 million to 1.2 million and reduce the number of women suffering complications from 2.2 million to 500,000, according to Guttmacher research. Achieving this goal “will require significant financial investment from African governments and donor countries alike, but one with far-reaching benefits: fewer unplanned pregnancies, fewer unsafe abortions and fewer maternal and newborn deaths” (Camp, “Poverty Matters,” Guardian, 11/12).
Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the whole Day-to-day Women’s Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
? 2010 National Partnership for Ladies & Families. All rights reserved.
