Globally, some 45 million unintended pregnancies are terminated each year; of which an estimated 19 million are terminated in an unsafe condition. What is most disconcerting is the fact that unsafe abortion affects young women and teenagers. Approximately 40% of all unsafe abortions are performed on young women aged 15 to 24. It kills an estimated 68 000 women every year globally. It accounts for 13% of all pregnancy-related deaths.
In a narrow sense, abortion is legal in much of the world. The overwhelming majority of countries and areas permit abortion to be performed to save pregnant women’s life. National abortion laws and policies are significantly more restrictive in the developing world than in the developed countries. In the developed countries, abortion is permitted upon request in 31 countries, about two-third of all developed countries. In contrast, only 1 in 7 developing countries allow abortion upon request. (World Population Monitoring, reproductive right and reproductive health, United Nations, 2003, page 86.) Access to abortion services is governed by existing laws and policies within countries. Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Viet Nam are legally permissive countries in the Regions, while Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, and most South Pacific island countries are legally restricted.
Liberal abortion laws, however, do not guarantee that women can obtain safe abortions. In Cambodia, for example, where abortion is permitted on broad grounds, too many women still undergo dangerous abortions performed by illegal, unqualified providers. Despite the magnitude of the problem, data at country level on this important reproductive health indicator is scarce because it is a very sensitive and a very private topic.