Abstract
76% of the worlds people live in countries where induced abortion is legal and 39% in countries where it is available on request. Recently abortion laws were relaxed in Greece; Portugal; Spain; Taiwan; and Turkey. There have been backward steps in Ireland and Romania. Motivations for legal change have varied: concerns over public health; social justice and womens rights; population growth and in the case of legal reversal: religion; and concerns over a dwindling labor force. Often abortion practice deviates from statutory law and abortions take place regularly. Between 37 and 55 legal and illegal abortions/1000 women aged 15-44 are performed yearly worldwide. Tabulated data show country rates and ratios (% of abortions/pregnancies) among developed countries to be higest in Eastern Europe generally and the USSR especially (181/1000 women aged 15-44/year with a 68% ratio of abortions/pregnancies) and Japan possibly due to a shortage in these countries of modern contraceptives. The US follows with a rate of 27/1000. Fairly low rates are seen generally in Scandinavia England Wales Canada and the Netherlands. Rates for legal abortions in China 62/1000 and legal and illegal abortions in Bangladesh 35-45/1000 are generally high and possibly inaccurate. The dimensions of abortion practice are also expressed as abortions/womans lifetime: as high as 4 in the USSR; 1 in Hungary and Czechoslovakia; and .7 in the US. Level and method of contraceptive practice have a large impact on prevalence while stringent restricitions generally do not. In general in developed countries rates are highest among younger women and adolescents. Where most acceptors are childless abortion is often for the postponement of childbearing; otherwise it is most often used by high-parity women wanting no more children. Ethnicity affects rates in some countries. Restrictions on where abortions may be performed and how abortions are financed vary considerably from country to country. The effect of liberalization of laws is often the reduction of mortality.
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