Resumen : This article offers research support for the operational policy principle that preventing pregnancies leads to fewer abortions. Findings pertain to a study by the Office of Population of the USAID, a large-scale study in four Latin American countries, a comparative study between Colombia and Mexico, a study in Tanzania, and pilot projects in Turkey and Egypt. USAID reports that use of abortion was closely associated with unmet need for contraception and use of less effective methods of contraception. Abortion rates declined over a 15-20 year period as contraception became the norm. Countries with more effective modern methods of contraception had lower abortion rates than countries with reliance on less effective methods. Family planning programs are becoming effective in countries with historically high rates of abortion, such as Russia and eastern Europe. It is estimated that about 32 million abortions occur yearly in developing countries, and most are unsafe. In Turkey, about 34% of married women who chose abortion had not used contraception, and 45% had relied on withdrawal. 73% of women in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela who were hospitalized for unsafe abortions had not used contraception. The decline in abortion rates does not occur until contraception is both widely available and consistently used. For short periods there may be increases in both abortion rates and contraceptive use rates as the population strives for a smaller family size. For example, in South Korea, contraceptive use increased from 24% to 77% during 1971-88, while lifetime abortion rates increased to 2.9 in 1978 and declined to 1.9 in 1991. Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and Hungary all experienced declining abortion after widespread availability and increased use of contraception occurred. The reduction in abortions results in greater availability of beds in hospitals and lower maternal mortality.
Notes : Inglés/anglais/English, nbsp;Abstract : Popline (http://db.jhuccp.org/popinform/basic.html) - PIP 12293001