Disclaimer: (So you don't kill me, Bicknell) This blog does not convey my actual opinions in any way and is just one outlook on the issue that is largely based around statistics.
Abortion is a heated topic that many people have strong sides for, but as most people argue whether it is right or wrong, they are fueled mostly by personal opinions and are not so knowledgeable when it comes to the facts and statistics.
So, here are the facts.
According to The World Health Organization (WHO) approximately 40 - 50 million abortions occur worldwide every year. over 60 percent of the world's countries have little to no restrictions on abortion. Around 26 percent of countries prohibit abortion, and the remaining percent of countries will allow abortion under specific circumstances. Studies have shown, however, that countries where abortion is illegal still have roughly the same amount of abortions as countries that legalize abortion. In fact, out of those 40 - 50 million annual abortions, around half of those come from countries where abortion is illegal. Looking at statistics shows that this is true. Analyzing countries where abortion is illegal such as Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, etc. show that they have around the same rates of abortion (36 per 1,000 women) as countries such as Vietnam or Singapore where abortion is legal. However, one thing that does change between these countries is the safety behind the abortions.
As around half of all abortions come from countries where it is illegal, logically, half of all abortions are also considered to be unsafe as professionals, as well as safe environments, are not readily available or easily accessible. Out of those abortions, nearly 67,000 women die annually.
Studies also show that, in developed countries, abortion rates are steadily on the decline yet the opposite is true for developing countries, abortion is steadily increasing. This can partly be attributed to the fact that in developed countries, sex education as well as access to prevent unwanted pregnancies is more readily available while these may be more scarce in developing countries.
Legal or illegal, statistics show that abortion rates remain equal, and the only main difference is the safety level between those abortions. The effects of making abortion legal allow women more access to safer environments and safer professionals that they may have not received beforehand.
Disclaimer 2: Abortion statistics can vary greatly depending on the factors attributed to the research. All statistics shown may not be 100% accurate in depiction. I carefully chose the statistics to add and any statistics that had too much varied information I did not include.
information gathered from:
http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/abortion-rate-globally-US/2015/04/15/id/638599/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/world/12abortion.html
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Health/Abortions
http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/abortion-around-the-world-where-are-rates-highest/
https://www.reproductiverights.org/sites/crr.civicactions.net/files/documents/AbortionMap_Factsheet_2013.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWKqeJxzeBc
http://afterabortion.org/pdf/WeberLettertoThompson&CDCReAbortionStats.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22270271
