Study shows an abortion ban may lead to a 21% increase in pregnancy-related deaths

September 22, 2021
Amanda Jean Stevenson, The Conversation

A new Texas law bans nearly all abortions, and other states have indicated that they likely will follow suit. But the research is clear that people who want abortions but are unable to get them can suffer a slew of negative consequences for their health and well-being.

As a researcher who measures the effects of contraception and abortion policy on people’s lives, I usually have to wait years for the data to roll in. But sometimes anticipating a policy’s effects before they happen can suggest ways to avoid its worst consequences.

Continued: https://theconversation.com/study-shows-an-abortion-ban-may-lead-to-a-21-increase-in-pregnancy-related-deaths-167610

Kitwe leading in number of unsafe abortions – Dr Macha

By Charles Tembo
September 15, 2021

KITWE district is leading in the number of unsafe abortions, according to the Zambia Association of Gynecologists and Obstetrician.

ZAGO president Swebby Macha said seven per cent of all maternal deaths in Zambia are due to unsafe abortions.

Continued: https://www.themastonline.com/2021/09/15/kitwe-leading-in-number-of-unsafe-abortions-dr-macha/

15.09.2021

Zambia Association of Gynecologists and Obstetricians

‘11% Of Maternal Deaths In Nigeria Due To Unsafe Abortions’

By Ojoma Akor and Seun Adeuyi
Thu Sep 09 2021

Eleven per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria is due to unsafe abortions, the Global Advocacy Director of Pathfinder International, Dr Habeeb Salami has said.

He stated this Thursday in Abuja during a one-day media and civil society organisation engagement training workshop organised by the Balanced Stewardship Development Association (BALSDA).

Continued: https://dailytrust.com/11-of-maternal-deaths-in-nigeria-due-to-unsafe-abortions

09.09.2021

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Lack of access to post-abortion care leading to maternal deaths

Sep 08, 2021
Malawi24 Reporter

Ipas Malawi says lack of knowledge on how
women can access post-abortion care in health facilities is contributing to
high levels of maternal deaths in the country.

Ipas Malawi Program Manager Luke Tembo said this in Mzuzu during a
dissemination meeting for District Health Managers from the northern region
districts.

Continued: https://malawi24.com/2021/09/08/lack-of-access-to-post-abortion-care-leading-to-maternal-deaths/

08.09.2021

Kenya – Implement Constitution to end preventable maternal deaths

By Evelyne Opondo
September 6th 2021

On August 27, the country marked 11 years since the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, a supreme order that ushered the promise of reproductive rights autonomy, including abortion care. Unfortunately, women and girls of reproductive age continue to grapple with challenges when accessing essential health services. They face harassment, arbitrary arrests, prosecution and even encounter healthcare providers reluctant to offer services.

These challenges are exacerbated by the government’s lackadaisical approach to bringing sections of the Penal Code, such as the blanket ban on abortion services, into alignment with the Constitution. The ambiguity has compelled licensed healthcare practitioners to shy away from providing abortion and post-abortion care to women and girls, even in emergency situations, for fear of criminal sanctions, despite being allowed by the law.

Continued: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/opinion/article/2001422768/implement-constitution-to-end-preventable-maternal-deaths

Unsafe Abortion – Time to Step-Up Family Planning Services in Nigeria

8 AUGUST 2021
Leadership (Abuja)

Unplanned pregnancy and unsafe abortion is still a problem in some societies despite the increase in effective and safe methods of contraception and the distribution of information about these methods. Unsafe abortion constitutes a major threat to the health and lives of women and children.

Unsafe abortions carry a high risk of
maternal mortality and morbidity, accounting for more than 80,000 maternal
deaths per year. Although many countries do not keep statistics on abortions,
there is evidence that millions of "legal" and illegal abortions take
place in the world every year.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202108090108.html

10 Women in India Die Each Day Due to Unsafe Abortion

According to research published in India Today, more than 80 percent of women do not know that abortion is legal in India.

Newsx Bureau
29 July 2021

It is estimated that 15.6 million abortions take place in India every year. A
significant number of these abortions are done under highly unsafe conditions.
Unsafe abortion leads to the death of 13 women in India each day. It is the
third-largest cause of maternal mortality in India.

According to statistics from various reports
published on the WHO website:

Between 2015 and 2019, on average, 73.3
million induced (safe and unsafe) abortions occurred worldwide each year.
There were 39 induced abortions per 1000
women aged between 15–49 years.
3 out of 10 (29%) of all pregnancies,
and 6 out of 10 (61%) of all unintended pregnancies, ended in induced
abortion.
Around 7 million women are admitted to
hospitals every year in developing countries due to unsafe abortion.

Continued: https://www.newsx.com/health-and-environment/10-women-in-india-die-each-day-due-to-unsafe-abortion.html

29.07.2021

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971

Ecuador abortion laws discriminate against minority ethnic women – report

Criminalisation disproportionately affects indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian women and exacerbates inequality, says Human Rights Watch

Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogotá
Wed 14 Jul 2021

Gladys, an indigenous woman from rural Ecuador, went to hospital after injecting poison into her stomach to end her pregnancy. Doctors went straight to the police, and she was sentenced to two months in jail for having an abortion with consent.

Elsewhere in the South American country, a 20-year-old Afro-Ecuadorian woman went to hospital after a fall, and found out she was pregnant and miscarrying. She was swiftly arrested and spent four months awaiting trial, where she was cleared.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/jul/14/ecuador-abortion-laws-discriminate-against-minority-ethnic-women-report

USA – Banning Abortion Doesn’t Protect Women’s Health

July 9, 2021
By Michele Goodwin
New York Times

During its coming term, the United States Supreme Court will review the constitutionality of a Mississippi anti-abortion law that criminalizes abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Already in Mississippi, only one abortion clinic remains to serve the entire state. This new law, one of the most restrictive anti-abortion measures yet, provides no exemptions in cases of rape or incest. Many see it as the gravest threat to Roe v. Wade ever taken up by the Supreme Court. They are not wrong.

But this effort to dismantle Roe is not new, nor is it isolated. More than 550 anti-abortion restrictions have been put in place across the country since 2011. Each is part of a concerted, sweeping effort across Republican-dominated state legislatures to dismantle reproductive rights — often presented in the name of protecting women. Take Mississippi’s Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who argued that “the Mississippi Legislature enacted this law … to promote women’s health and preserve the dignity and sanctity of life.”

Continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/opinion/roe-abortion-supreme-court.html

10.07.2021

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Family Planning: Nigeria records 2.5m unintended pregnancies annually – Official

If good measures are taken, the annual number of unplanned births would decrease from 885,000 to 200,000 and the number of abortions would drop from 1.3 million to 287,000,” the official said.

By Nike Adebowale
July 7, 2021

Due to what they described as unmet needs of contraceptives in Nigeria, health experts have said Nigeria annually records about 2.5 million cases of unintended pregnancy.

The duo of Christopher Aimakhu, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Oyo State, and Abubakar Panti, a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, gave some startling statistics about family planning in Nigeria on Wednesday.

Continued: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/472212-family-planning-nigeria-records-2-5m-unintended-pregnancies-annually-official.html