Not enough: Editorial on India’s Maternal Mortality Rate

The findings published in PLOS Global Public Health journal suggest that about 70 per cent of the country’s districts had failed to meet the global target between 2017 and 2020

The Editorial Board
Published 29.07.22

Over the past few years, India has been making efforts to improve maternal health. A decline in maternal mortality has also been documented. But is this decline uniform? A recent study by the International Institute for Population Sciences, which analysed maternal deaths at the district level, has found serious imbalances. Maternal Mortality Rate — deaths on account of childbirth per one lakh live births — is a measure of women’s reproductive health. Under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, all countries are expected to lower their MMR to below 70 by 2030. At present, India’s MMR is 103. Dishearteningly, this figure is not representative of ground realities.

Continued: https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/not-enough-editorial-on-indias-maternal-mortality-rate/cid/1877079

29.07.2022

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Extensive New Body of Evidence on Abortion in Six Indian States Released

Extensive New Body of Evidence on Abortion in Six Indian States Released
Data Available on Abortion Incidence, Access to and Quality of Safe Abortion Services

Nov 12, 2018

Abortion has been legal under broad criteria in India since 1971, yet representative information on abortion incidence and access to abortion services in the country has been scarce. The results of a large-scale study titled Unintended Pregnancy and Abortion in India have now been released, filling a critical evidence gap. The results of the study—which was conducted jointly by researchers at the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, the Population Council, New Delhi, and the New York–based Guttmacher Institute—include a wide range of data on abortion in six Indian states: Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. These states are geographically and culturally diverse, and are home to nearly half of reproductive-age women in India.

Continued: https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2018/extensive-new-body-evidence-abortion-six-indian-states-released

National Estimate of Abortion in India Released

National Estimate of Abortion in India Released
Study Finds 15.6 Million Abortions Occur Annually

December 11, 2017
Guttmacher Institute

According to the first national study of the incidence of abortion and unintended pregnancy in India, an estimated 15.6 million abortions were performed in the country in 2015. This translates to an abortion rate of 47 per 1,000 women aged 15–49, which is similar to the abortion rate in neighboring South Asian countries. The study—published today in The Lancet Global Health—was conducted jointly by researchers at the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai; the Population Council, New Delhi; and the New York–based Guttmacher Institute. It also found that the vast majority of abortions (81%) were achieved using medication abortion (which, in India, is commonly referred to as medical methods of abortion, or MMA) that was obtained either from a health facility or another source. Fourteen percent of abortions were performed surgically in health facilities, and the remaining 5% of abortions were performed outside of health facilities using other, typically unsafe, methods.

Continued at source: https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2017/national-estimate-abortion-india-released