Resumen : Interviews with 626 women treated in 1993 for complications of unsafe abortion at five hospitals in Nairobi (Kenya), Lima (Peru), and Manila (Philippines) revealed marked differences in their demographic characteristics. The percentage under 25 years of age was 26% in Manila, 45% in Lima, and 91% in Nairobi. 84% of abortion patients in Nairobi were single compared with 77% in Manila and 21% in Lima; 77% of women in Nairobi had no children compared with 29% in Lima and 11% in Manila. In general, Nairobi abortion seekers tended to be young women who migrated to the city and were concerned pregnancy would impede their social mobility. In Lima and Manila, abortion was sought to limit births within union, generally for financial reasons. Never-use of contraception was reported by 80% of Kenyan women, 65% of Manila women, and 48% of those in Lima. When presented with 11 scenarios that might justify an abortion, the only indication the majority in all three cities supported was pregnancy resulting from rape. Women reported use of abortifacient agents such as livestock droppings, drinking chemicals and detergents, herbal medicines, and overdoses of over-the-counter medications, as well as insertion of sharp objects into the uterus. 98% of Kenyan respondents compared with 36% in Peru and 24% in the Philippines claimed illegal abortion was common; 92%, 75%, and 35%, respectively, were aware of at least one woman who died after an unsafe abortion. All of the women in Kenya and 89% in the Philippines reported it was difficult or very difficult to obtain an abortion; most were obtained through a secret referral system and involved unsanitary conditions. These findings indicate a need for postabortion family planning counseling as well as scrutiny of existing abortion laws and policies.
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