Induced abortion: a world review, 1990.

The worldwide trend toward liberalization of abortion laws has continued in the last 4 years with changes in 10 countries. Laws have also become more restrictive in 4 countries but in ways that will affect few women. 40% of the worlds population now lives in countries where no specific justification is required to obtain an abortion and 25% lives where an abortion is allowed only if the womens life is in danger. Legal abortion rates range from a high of at least 112 abortions/1000 women of reproductive age in the Soviet Union to a low of 5/1000 in the Netherlands. In recent years abortion rates have been increasing in Czechoslovakia England and Wales New Zealand and Sweden and declining in China France Iceland Italy Japan the Netherlands and South Korea. Mortality from legal abortion averages 0.6 deaths/100000 procedures in developed countries with data. Abortion services are increasingly being provided outside of hospitals and for those performed in hospitals overnight stays are becoming less common. Suction curettage and dilation and evacuation the safest methods are increasingly being used in developed countries but are unavailable in some developed as well as developing areas especially where abortion is legally restricted. (Authors).