A third of 3M pregnancies in RP ends up in abortion

Over one-third of the three million pregnancies every year in the country end up in abortion.

This was the appalling revelation of the research on induced abortion in the country conducted by the Population Institute, College of Social Studies and Philosophy of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

Dr. Josefina Cabigon of the Population Institute said that of the three million pregnancies every year, 450,000 ended in miscarriages while another 450,000 in induced abortion. Unplanned births reached 930,000 while planned births, 1,170,000.

The general trend in the induced abortion rate increased from 1994 to 2000, according to the research. Abortion rate in Central Visayas has dramatically increased from six percent in 1994 to 24 percent in 2000 or at least 30,810 cases.

The region has the biggest number of induced abortions compared to other regions in the Visayas. Western Visayas ranks second with at least 13,309 cases followed by Eastern Visayas with over 11,903.

According to Cabigon, there is an estimated 473,400 induced abortions in the Philippines in 2000. The causes of unintended pregnancy and unsafe induced abortion are contraceptive non-use, barriers to prevention of unplanned pregnancy, especially in high-risk groups, contraceptive failure and non-availability of contraceptives.

One of the main reasons Cabigon cited in her survey on why women would seek abortion was that most women find it expensive nowadays to have a baby or it is too soon after the last pregnancy.

The survey also showed that the most number of women who have experienced abortion are Catholic, only a little of the respondents are non-Catholic.

In the survey, Cabigon stated to obtain abortion, women go through multiple steps like drinking herbs to massage and from hilot to cytotec. However, she said that only 30 percent of the women who attempt abortion would succeed because lower cost methods tend to be less effective and riskier.

Cabigon said that most of the consequences of abortion are severe bleeding, severe pain, moderate and severe fever and injury. She added that four of 10 women who reported to have experienced abortion say they have experienced emotional stress.

Of an estimated 76 million unintended pregnancies a year worldwide, some 44 million ended up in abortion, including 19-20 million that are unsafe.

Unsafe induced abortion accounts for at least 13 percent of all maternal mortality globally and around 20 percent in Asia and Africa, making it a leading cause of maternal death. - Jasmin R. Uy