UNSAFE abortions remain one of the leading causes of maternal deaths the world over, with majority of the deaths being reported in the developing countries, the Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) has warned.
By Michael Gwarisa
According to the MSF, at least 7 million women are hospitalized every year due to complications from unsafe abortions whole a woman or girl dies after every 23 minutes from an unsafe abortion.
Although the past two decades have seen major decreases in most leading causes of maternal deaths worldwide, one glaring exception remains: unsafe abortion. Estimates put the number of unsafe abortions each year at over 25 million—97% of them in developing countries—leading to at least 22,800 deaths and millions of serious complications.
“Since MSF projects often see patients suffering from the severe, potentially life-threatening effects of unsafe abortion, we have expanded our efforts to help women access safe abortion care and to find ways of providing it at our projects. As of 2018, we provide safe abortion care at 90 projects in over 25 countries,” said MSF.
An abortion according to MSF is considered safe if it is done with a method recommended by the World Health Organization and appropriate to the pregnancy duration, and if the person providing or supporting the abortion is trained.
“If either of these conditions is not met, the abortion is unsafe. The two main categories for unsafe abortions are “less safe” and “least safe.” Less safe abortions involve either an outdated, unsafe method or a lack of access to proper information, while least safe abortions involve both.
“Inserting objects into the uterus, ingesting harmful substances, and using external force are all unsafe ways to terminate a pregnancy. Out of 25 million unsafe abortions each year, almost one-third occur under the least safe, most dangerous conditions.”
MSF added that any person with an unwanted pregnancy who cannot access safe abortion services is at risk of injury or death from unsafe abortion.
Barriers to safe abortion, like high cost, legal restrictions, stigma, and objections from health-care providers all contribute to increased rates of unsafe abortion.
“The risk of complications also increases when unsafe abortions are performed later in pregnancy. Abortion shines a light on social injustices and inequities. Poor women, women of color, and women living in remote areas are disproportionately cut off from safe abortion services. Women and girls trapped in war, crisis, and conflicts often face additional barriers to accessing abortion care. Mortality rates from unsafe abortion are highest in Africa, which sees 29% of all unsafe abortions but about 62% of unsafe abortion-related deaths.”
The MSF is working with Ministries of Health and other non-governmental healthcare providers in various projects with the aim of providing a wide variety of contraceptive methods to meet the different needs of our patients, including implants, intrauterine devices, injectables, oral contraceptive pills, and condoms.
“In 2018, we provided over 300,000 consultations for contraception. Providing effective contraceptive services often means adapting our projects to settings where ongoing crisis or conflict may restrict women’s access to reproductive health care.
“For example, many women in Central “African Republic travel long distances to reach contraceptive services, and when conflict escalates in their region the journey can become too dangerous. The COVID-19 pandemic has also impeded women’s access to contraceptive services because of movement restrictions and clinic closures. For these reasons, we are expanding the ways we deliver care to include telehealth services, longer refills on contraceptive pills, and longer-term methods of contraception.”
