70,000 Women Die Because Of Unsafe Abortions Annually; Most Pregnancy-Related Deaths Preventable, Report Says

About 70,000 worldwide women die because of unsafe abortions annually, and about 85% of such deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Southcentral Asia, according to an International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics report released on Monday at the group's five-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The report, titled "World Report on Women's Health 2006," says that "women who turn to unsafe abortion after considering the alternatives are desperate not to bring the pregnancy to term. In a number of countries, women who undergo abortions are treated as criminals by health authorities and the justice system" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 11/6). About 70 countries have laws banning abortion except to save a pregnant woman's life. "It's an emotional debate that demands a global response from the medical community," Barbara Crane, vice president of the reproductive rights group Ipas, said. Studies have shown that nearly 75% of the worldwide 500,000 pregnancy-related deaths annually could be prevented, according to the report. Some experts at the conference said that increased access to contraception and safe abortions, as well as improved health care for women, are needed to lower maternal mortality, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports. Only 10 of 24 Asian countries and 16 of 38 African countries are known to incorporate emergency contraception -- which can prevent pregnancy when taken up to 72 hours following intercourse -- into their national family planning guidelines, the report says (Yoong, AP/International Herald Tribune, 11/6). According to AFP/Yahoo! News, a new group called Asian Pacific Council of Contraception said it aims to reduce the number of abortions and unintended pregnancies by promoting contraception education. According to the World Health Organization, about 20 million of the 46 million abortion procedures worldwide conducted annually are unsafe (AFP/Yahoo! News, 11/6). FIGO's meeting is scheduled to conclude on Friday (New Sunday Times, 11/5).

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