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NI: Global Issues for Learners of English > The Issues > Abortion > Abortion Safety

Abortion safety:

a few statistics

 

Women all over the world have abortions:

Women who live in countries where abortion is legal, safe and affordable have abortions;

and women who live in countries where abortion is illegal, dangerous and expensive have abortions.

 

 

AFFORDABLE: if something is affordable, people have enough money to pay for it

The Statistics

  • The World Health Organization estimates that 55,000,000 abortions take place every year.

  • About half of all abortions are performed in unsafe conditions, usually because abortions are very difficult to get or because they are illegal.

  • One quarter of the people in the world live in countries where abortion is illegal or very restricted.

  • Every day, as many as 550 women die as a result of trying to end unwanted pregnancies.

 

RESTRICTED: it is only allowed in certain condidtions (for example, rape)

 

But abortions should be safe.

Abortions are very safe when they are performed early in pregnancy by a skilled person using modern techniques. What is important for women all over the world is that they have access to a sympathetic abortion service.

Abortion is like many other health care services: we want it to be available, but we hope we never have to use it.

 

 

ACCESS: if you have access to something, you can get it or use it without difficulty.

AVAILABLE: if something is available, you can have it if you need it

Copyright New Internationalist Magazine 1998

The material on this page has been adapted from a longer article "A moral question" by Janet Hadley in the July 1998 New Internationalist.

NI: Global Issues for Learners of English > The Issues > Abortion > Abortion Safety

 

Last Modified: 20 July 1999