In most countries, women can be criminally charged for illegal abortions: UN report

New Delhi: Even as induced abortion is legal in most parts of the world, UNFPA’s latest World Population Report points out that it is estimated that in 28 per cent of the countries where abortion is legal, women require consent from their spouse to go ahead.

Judicial consent is required in nearly 36 per cent of these countries if the girl seeking abortion is a minor. In nearly 63 per cent of countries, women can be criminally charged for going through illegal abortion, says the report highlighting that the legal restrictions raise the risk of unsafe abortions. The report carries data from 96 countries.

According to a 2020 study cited in the report, about 73.3 million abortions take place annually. Some studies cite unsafe abortion as one of the leading causes of maternal death globally. Drawing from a WHO report from 2021, it says unsafe abortions are responsible for an estimated 4.7 to 13.2 per cent of all maternal deaths each year.

“Legal restrictions are not the only impediments to safe abortion. Costs, health infrastructure issues and stigma also pose barriers to safe abortion leading to unacceptably large numbers of unsafe abortions, with catastrophic costs to individuals, economies and societies,” says the report.

Drawing from different studies, the report notes that the levels of abortion are about the same in countries where it is illegal as in countries where it is legal. Importantly, rates of unintended pregnancies tend to be lower in countries with more liberal abortion laws and which are more accommodating to the needs of sexually active people. Therefore research shows that restricting abortion has the effect of worsening women’s health rather than reducing the incidence of abortion.

It notes that induced abortion is an essential part of reproductive health care. But availability of this procedure is often restricted, with gestational limits or limits based upon the reason for seeking abortion. “Most states permit abortion to save a woman’s life, to preserve her health, in cases of rape and in cases of fetal impairment, but beyond these indications, regulations vary widely,” it says.