The World Health Organization defines unsafe abortion as a procedure for terminating a pregnancy that is performed by an individual lacking the necessary skills, or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both. Unsafe abortion is common in places where abortion is illegal. Every year almost 44,000 abortions occur globally and nearly half of them are unsafe whereby almost all unsafe abortions (98 percent) are happening in developing Countries.
In Countries where abortion remains unsafe, it is a leading cause of maternal mortality. According to the WHO unsafe abortions contribute to 13% of all maternal mortality globally and are direct cause of maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. When comparing women with their counterpart men in Sexual and Reproductive Health, there is no such a high cause of mortality in men. This difference shows the existent gender inequality in most developing Countries.
In these settings women are denied access to information, education on safe sex, contraception and are not offered an informed consent on their fertility choices. Gender based violence is one of the contributing factor to this inequality that women suffer and this affect their potential development and enjoyment of their right to health including their right to Sexual and Reproductive Health. These universal rights legitimate women to choose whether to conceive or when to form a family. This should have not been difficult to achieve in a World with so much technologies of modern effective contraceptive methods. And the issue of unsafe abortion and its complications could be averted.
Conversely this is not the case in the context where legal structures should determine the fate of those who should make decisions for their own lives. The legalization or non-legalization of termination of pregnancy has been a battle ground for Centuries in many Countries across the Globe with different variations in the trends of abortion legal frameworks. In this essay, I will discuss why unsafe abortion is perceived as neglected globally and evaluate the extent to which human rights-based approach can be useful to mitigate this public health problem and conclude with my personal view on this issue.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Why and how unsafe abortion is neglected
- Rights-based approach to mitigate unsafe abortion
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay examines the global issue of unsafe abortion, exploring the reasons behind its prevalence and evaluating the potential of a human rights-based approach to mitigate this public health problem.
- The prevalence and impact of unsafe abortion globally
- The role of legal frameworks and societal attitudes in influencing access to safe abortion services
- The importance of a rights-based approach to address unsafe abortion and its consequences
- The interplay between gender inequality, access to reproductive healthcare, and unsafe abortion
- The need for comprehensive interventions that encompass legal reform, education, and access to contraception
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter defines unsafe abortion and highlights its prevalence and consequences, particularly in developing countries. The essay frames the issue within the context of gender inequality and the denial of women's rights to reproductive health.
- Why and how unsafe abortion is neglected: This chapter explores the reasons behind the neglect of unsafe abortion, focusing on the lack of comprehensive data due to stigma and socio-cultural factors. It discusses global estimates of unsafe abortions and highlights the disproportionate impact in countries with restrictive abortion laws.
- Rights-based approach to mitigate unsafe abortion: This chapter examines the potential of a human rights-based approach to address unsafe abortion. It highlights international agreements and legal instruments that emphasize the right to safe abortion and the importance of providing access to reproductive healthcare services.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Unsafe abortion, reproductive health, women's rights, gender inequality, legal frameworks, human rights-based approach, maternal mortality, access to healthcare, contraception.
- Quote paper
- Dr Leonard Kabongo (Author), 2015, Safe Abortion. Way forwards on one of the neglected Sexual and Reproductive Health issue, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/305674