One In Four Pregnancies Ends Up In Abortion, Worldwide Statistics Says

New reports published by the World Health Organization and the Guttmacher Institute reveals that one in four pregnancies ends up in abortion worldwide.

The research also adds that every year, a troubling 56 million induced abortions take place which translates to a rate of 35 per 1,000 women across the world. In developed countries, abortion rates have dropped by more than 40% while the annual figures in developing regions remains the same for the past 25 years.

According to the lead researcher Dr. Dr Gilda Sedgh, 90% of abortions in less developed parts of the world occur due to limited access to contraceptives and other family planning-related services.

"Our findings indicate that in many developing regions, women lack the contraceptive services they need and are unable to prevent pregnancies they do not want to have," Sedgh said as quoted by NewsTalk.

In the United States, abortion and birth rates seemed to have decreased in recent years as stated in a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which has seen a 50% drop of fetal loss since the mid-1970s.

Published in Lancet medical journal, the research also showed the government restrictions on safe and medically approved abortions do not seem to have any effect on cutting down the number of terminated pregnancies. This suggest that women would rather choose to undergo risky and often unsafe procedures if abortion services are unsanctioned by the government.

"High abortion rates are directly correlated to high levels of unmet contraceptive need. Our findings indicate that in many developing regions, women lack the contraceptive services they need and are unable to prevent pregnancies they do not want to have," Sedgh further said as quoted by UPI.

As the study pointed, 225 million women in the developing world often face the stigma of using medically approved abortion services and other WHO-recommended family planning options. According to Marie Stopes International, a contraception and safe abortion advocacy group, it is about time that the global community should look at decriminalizing abortion in favor of promoting women's health.

"While it is heartening to see abortion rates falling in some regions, it is clear that much more needs to be done to expand access to contraception in the world's poorest countries," the NGO's spokeswoman said as quoted by The Guardian. "It is no coincidence that countries where people find it easy to obtain contraception also have lower rates of abortion.