Making Abortion Safe
Making abortion safe is a critical aspect of healthcare, as WHO– at least 1/3rd are unsafe abortions. These complications account for 13% of maternal mortality worldwide, resulting in 78,000 women die/ year from complications of unsafe abortion. In India, 70 – 90 women /100,000 live birth die from unsafe abortions.
Global Scenario of Abortion and Statistics
Over 100 million acts of Sexual Intercourse per day result in over 900,000 pregnancies, of which 50% are unplanned and 25% are actually unwanted. Consequently, 150,000 pregnancies are terminated by induced abortions per day, exceeding 50 million per year worldwide. Data from the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Population Council, and Guttmacher Institute highlight the 2015 data for India:
| Data Category | Value |
| Total pregnancies | 48.1 million |
| Abortions | 15.6 million |
| Unintended pregnancy rate | 70 per 1,000 woman (aged 15-49) |
| Abortion rate | 47 per 1,000 woman (aged 15-49) |
There is a significant CONCERN !!! because currently, slightly fewer than 1 in 4 abortions are provided in health facilities.
Understanding the MTP Act in India
The MTP Act 1971, implemented on 01.4.1972, serves as the legal foundation for abortion care. It was revised in 1975 and amended in 2002 (MTP Amendment Act, 2002). To ensure it is NOT Criminal Abortion, the act outlines:
- MTP Rules (amended in 2003): Defines who can perform the procedure and the approval of place; made by the Central Government and passed by the parliament.
- MTP Regulations, 2003: Applicable to all Union Territories, covering Opinion, Consent, Documentation, and Record keeping.
How Can We Ensure Safety?
Safety is so important in abortion care, and we can ensure it by focusing on the Patient, Place, and Doctor. According to the document, key aspects of making abortion safe include:
- Ensuring the qualifications and experience of doctors performing abortions.
- Legal requirements for consent and documentation.
- Infrastructure requirements for approved abortion sites.
- Understanding medical abortion and surgical abortion procedures and their risks.
One of the primary reasons for intervention is when the continuation of pregnancy is a risk to the woman.