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Home , Abortion, South America, Unsafe abortion

FACT SHEET in And the

Incidence and trends Legal status of abortion when only one of those two criteria ■■ During 2010–2014, an estimated 6.5 ■■ More than 97% of women of repro- is met, and least safe when neither is million induced occurred ductive age in Latin America and the met. Many women undergo unsafe each year in Latin America and the Caribbean live in with restric- (i.e., less safe or least safe) procedures Caribbean—up from 4.4 million during tive abortion laws (i.e., countries in the that put their well-being at risk. 1990–1994. first four categories in Table 2). ■■ During 2010–2014, about one in four ■■ The annual rate of abortion is esti- ■■ Abortion is not permitted for any rea- abortions in Latin America and the mated at 44 per 1,000 women of repro- son in six countries. Nine others allow Caribbean were safe. The majority ductive age (15–44), a slight increase it almost exclusively to save the wom- (60%) of procedures fell into the less- from 40 per 1,000 in 1990–1994. an’s , with only some offering lim- safe category. ited exceptions for (, , ■■ The regional abortion rate is roughly 48 and ) and grave fetal ■■ About 760,000 women in the per 1,000 for married women and 29 anomaly (Chile, Panama and almost are treated annually for complications per 1,000 for unmarried women. half of the states of Mexico). from .

■■ As of 2010–2014, abortion rates range ■■ Fewer than 3% of the region’s women ■■ In 2014, at least 10% of all maternal across , from 33 per 1,000 live in countries where abortion is (or 900 deaths) in Latin America women in to 48 per broadly legal—that is, permitted either and the Caribbean were from unsafe 1,000 in America to 59 per 1,000 without restriction as to reason or on abortion. in the Caribbean. socioeconomic grounds. ■■ The most common complications ■■ The proportion of all in Unsafe abortion and its from unsafe abortion are incomplete Latin America and the Caribbean end- consequences abortion, excessive blood loss and ing in abortion increased between ■■ Induced abortion is medically safe infection. 1990–1994 and 2010–2014, from 23% when WHO-recommended methods to 32%. are used by trained , less safe ■■ Poor and rural women are the most likely to experience an unsafe abortion and severe complications thereof. TABLE 1: RATES AND PERCENTAGES ■■ Postabortion services in the region are Regional and subregional estimates of induced often of poor quality. Common short- comings include delays in treatment, abortion, Latin America and the Caribbean, 1990–1994 use of inappropriate interventions, and 2010–2014 inadequate access, and judgmental Region % of all pregnancies attitudes among and hospi- and Abortion rate* ending in abortion tal staff. These factors likely deter some women from obtaining needed 1990–1994 2010–2014 2010–2014 treatment. Latin America and the Caribbean 40 44 32 ■■ The use of to induce Caribbean 60 59 37 abortions is growing more common Central America 27 33 24 throughout the region and seems to have increased the safety of clandes- South America 43 48 34 tine procedures. *Abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44. Note: None of the differences between 1990–1994 and 2010–2014 are statistically significant.

MARCH 2018 TABLE 2: LEGALITY OF ABORTION, 2017 SOURCES Most data in this fact sheet Countries and in Latin America and the Caribbean can be found in: Singh S can be classified into six categories, according to the reasons for et al., Abortion Worldwide which abortion is legally permitted. 2017: Uneven Progress and Unequal Access, New York: Reason Countries and territories Guttmacher Institute, 2018; special tabulations of updated Prohibited altogether (no Dominican Republic, El Salvador, , Honduras, Nicaragua, explicit legal exception) data from Sedgh G et al., Abortion incidence between To save life of Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil (a), Chile (a,c), , Guatemala, 1990 and 2014: global, Mexico (a,c,e), Panama (a,c,d), , regional, and subregional levels Lancet To save life of woman/ (a), Bahamas, (a,b), , , Grenada, and trends, , 2016, preserve physical * 388(10041):258–267; Ganatra B et al., Global, regional, and To save life of woman/preserve (a,b,c), , St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia (a,b), and subregional classification of physical or abortions by safety, 2010–14: To save life of woman/preserve Barbados (a,b,c,d), Belize (c), St. Vincent and Grenadines (a,b,c) estimates from a Bayesian physical or mental health/socio- hierarchical model, Lancet, economic reasons 2017, 390(10110):2372–2381; Without restriction as to reason Cuba (d), , , (d) and Bearak J et al., Global, regional, and subregional *Includes countries with laws that refer simply to “health” or “therapeutic” indications, which may be interpreted more broadly than physical trends in unintended health. Notes: Some countries also allow abortion in cases of (a) rape, (b) or (c) fetal anomaly. Some countries restrict abortion by and its outcomes from 1990 requiring (d) parental authorization. In Mexico, (e) the legality of abortion is determined at the state level, and the legal categorization listed here reflects the status for the majority of women. Countries that allow abortion without restriction as to reason have limits to 2014: estimates from a (generally the first trimester); for legal abortions in categories 2 through 5, gestational age limits differ by prescribed grounds. Bayesian hierarchical model, Lancet , 2018, 6(4):e380–e389. Additional resources can be found in the ■■ From 2005 to 2012, the of ■■ The grounds for legal abor- fully annotated version available treatment rate of complica- any region—96 per tion should be broadened at https://www.guttmacher. tions from unsafe abortion 1,000 women aged 15–44. and access to safe abortion org/fact-sheet/abortion-latin- fell by one-third, from 7.7 In the subregion of the services improved to reduce america-and-caribbean. to 5.3 cases per 1,000 Caribbean, the rate was 116 the number of clandestine women of reproductive age. unintended pregnancies per procedures and the negative This likely represents a real 1,000 women. consequences that often decrease in complications result. requiring care. ■■ An estimated 14 million unintended pregnancies ■■ Access to planning Unintended pregnancy occur each year in Latin and postabortion care and unmet need America and the Caribbean; should be prioritized for ■■ As of 2017, more than 24 of these, nearly half (46%) poor and rural women, who million women of reproduc- end in abortion. experience disproportion- tive age in Latin America ately high rates of illness and the Caribbean have an Recommendations and from unsafe unmet need for modern ■■ Programs and policies that abortion. contraception—that is, they improve women’s and want to avoid a pregnancy men’s knowledge of, access but are either not practicing to and use of contraceptive contraception or are using methods must be imple- traditional methods, which mented to reduce unin- are less effective than mod- tended pregnancies—and Good reproductive ern methods. the abortions or unplanned health policy starts with births that often follow. credible research ■■ Most women who have an abortion do so because ■■ The provision and quality 125 Maiden Lane they become pregnant of postabortion care should New York, NY 10038, USA when they do not intend be improved and expanded 212.248.1111 [email protected] to. As of 2010–2014, Latin to reduce illness and death America and the Caribbean from unsafe abortion. www.guttmacher.org has the highest rate of

MARCH 2018