LEGAL ABORTION: A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF ITS RISKS
A review of the methods used and the results obtained in 1182 legal abortions in one teaching
hospital confirms that termination of pregnancy, even in the early weeks, is neither simple nor
safe. Nearly 17% of patients lost more than 500 ml. of blood and 9·5% required transfusion.
Cervical lacerations occurred in 4·2% and the uterus was perforated in 1·2%. All the perforations
were associated with the technique of vacuum aspiration. Emergency laparotomy was required
for 6 patients and hysterectomy was twice necessary to save life. Pyrexia of 38°C or more
persisting for longer than 24 hours occurred in 27%. Peritonitis developed in 14 patients, with
paralytic ileus in 7, and 6 others had septicæmia. No patient died. The need is stressed for a
wider appreciation of the risks involved in allowing certain pregnancies to continue and those
associated with their termination, irrespective of the method used. Methods of reducing certain
of these risks are indicated.
Abortion as a Human Right—International and Regional Standards
This article focuses on the striking expansion of international and regional human rights
standards and jurisprudence that support women's human right to abortion. It summarises
pertinent developments within the United Nations, European, Inter-American and African human
rights systems regarding abortion, as they relate to women's rights to life and health, in situations
of rape, incest or foetal impairment, and for abortion based on social and economic reasons and
on request. In doing so, the article touches on charged issues such as maternal mortality,
prohibitions of therapeutic abortion as infringing on the right to be free from cruel, inhuman and
degrading treatment, and state procedural obligations to ensure women's right to access legal
abortion. Finally, the article addresses the growing recognition by international human rights
bodies that criminalisation of abortion leads women to obtain unsafe abortions, threatening their
lives and health, and recent national-level developments in the field.
Why Abortion is Illegal? Comparison of Legal and Illegal Abortion: A Critical Review.
Abortion is the termination of pregnancy that occurs spontaneously or purposely. In the most
developed world, abortion is legally allowed for women seeking safe termination of pregnancies.
Particularly, when access to legal abortion is restricted, abortion is the resort to unsafe methods.
The aim of this review is to necessitate safe abortion and to accentuate the consequences of
illegal abortion in case of legal prohibition. Pubmed, MedLine and Scopus databases are used to
review previous literatures of safe, unsafe, legal and illegal abortions. Research work and reports
from organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank (WB) and United
Nations (UN) were included. Abortion is conventional whether it is safe, unsafe, legal or illegal.
The intention of the antiabortion policy was to reduce the number of abortions globally.
However, instead of decreasing rates, evidences show significant increase in abortions. When
abortion is legal, the preconditions to be ensured are availability, accessibility, affordability and
acceptability for the safe abortion facilities. When abortion is illegal, risk reduction strategies are
needed to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality. We can reduce abortion related morbidity
and mortality, whether it is legal or illegal if we can ensure the appropriate access to health care,
including abortion services, education on sexuality, access to contraceptives, post abortion care,
and suitable interventions and liberalization of laws.
