A Systematic Review on Women’s Health in Abortion Legalized vs. Abortion Prohibited Nations

Abstract

Abstract Title: A Systematic Review on Women’s Health in Abortion Legalized vs. Abortion Prohibited Nations Background: On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that affirmed the constitutional right to abortion. This study compares trends in women’s health and unmet contraceptive needs between abortion legalized and prohibited nations, as of July 20, 2022. Methods: A systematic review of data obtained from literature searches in Cochrane library, EMBASE, Medline, Guttmacher Institute, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO) databases. Results: Among 195 nations in the world, 16 each were grouped into two categories. Group one included 16 nations where abortion is legalized, and group two included 16 nations where abortion is prohibited, with exceptions only in cases to save the pregnant person’s life. The mean adolescent birth rate per 1000 women aged 15-19 years was 13.7 (range, 3.53- 51.8) in abortion legal group compared to 77.9 (range, 49.5-142.8) in abortion illegal group. Further, while 50% of unintended pregnancies ended in abortion in abortion legalized nations, only 38.5% were terminated in abortion illegal countries. In addition, it was observed that there was a 12% to 74% unmet need for contraceptive and abortive services among abortion prohibited nations. The mean maternal age at first birth was 27 years in abortion legal group compared to 21 years in abortion illegal group. The mean maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births was 43 among abortion legal group while it was 263.8 among abortion illegal group. Overall, average female literacy rate was 96.8% in abortion legal group compared to 68.8% in abortion illegal group. It was also noted that the average adolescent birth rates were as low as 0.29 in nations having established unrestricted abortion laws that date back to 1960. Conclusion: The high adolescent birth and maternal mortality rates alongside lower female literacy rates in abortion prohibited nations raises serious concerns about women’s health and restricted opportunities for higher education. Further research is needed to evaluate if liberalizing abortion policies would help improve women’s health and literacy.