Resumen : Each year half of the 40-60 million abortions that are performed are illegal and/or performed in an unsafe manner. Thus, abortion accounts for 200,000 maternal deaths in developing countries annually. Treating women who had illegal abortions strains health systems, and the women face longterm morbidity and social disability. Abortion will continue to exist as long as women face unwanted pregnancies, and unwanted pregnancies will continue to occur until women gain the power to dictate their sex behavior. The severity of abortion consequences is minimized when abortion is legal and adequate services are available. Immediate consequences vary according to gestational age and the abortion setting, both of which depend upon the age and socioeconomic status of the woman. In India, abortion is legal, but legal abortion is difficult to access, so 90% of India's estimated 6.7 million annual abortions are carried out in unhygienic conditions. In countries where abortion is permitted in cases of rape or if the pregnancy endangers a woman's life, physicians must make judgements or must seek the approval of a judge. Most women who become pregnant after a rape in such countries resort to clandestine abortions. The public hospitals in Mozambique, however, interpret risk to the woman's life in the broad sense and offer safe abortions. As women's status in societies improves, the abortion rate will decrease and safety will improve. It is important to emphasize the actual implementation of current laws and to note that gynecologists and obstetricians should be sensitive to the suffering of women with unwanted pregnancies. Providing safe abortions to desperate women is not the same as promoting or even favoring abortion. Gynecologists and obstetricians can help create conditions where legal abortion is accessible to rape victims. Procedures should be developed to optimize implementation of prevailing abortion laws.
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