Abortion rates fell significantly in many developed countries, with the exception of Western Europe which registered the highest rates of abortions between 1990-94 and 2010-14, according to a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Guttmacher Institute. In developing regions, abortion rates declined slightly during the same time.
About one in four pregnancies ends in abortion each year around the world, the study also revealed.
The report said that over 56 million abortions take place every year. As many as 73 percent of abortions are sought by married women, and 27 percent by unmarried ones.
Estimates show that 35 abortions were carried out per 1,000 pregnancies worldwide between 2010 and 2014, which is five points less than an average of 40, about 25 years ago. But because of population growth, the number of abortions went up by 5.9 million. As the population growth curve is higher in developing countries, the decline in abortion rates was not steep.
The research, published in The Lancet, said that since abortion rates declined in many wealthier countries but not so steeply in poorer ones, upgrading reproductive healthcare in developing nations can help millions of women avoid unintended pregnancies.
"The high rates of abortion seen in our study provide further evidence of the need to improve and expand access to effective contraceptive services. Investing in modern contraceptive methods would be far less costly to women and to society than having unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions," said Dr. Bela Ganatra, a scientist from WHO.
Researchers attributed the drop in abortion levels in many developed countries to access to contraceptives. They said that limiting access to abortion services did not decrease the number of terminated pregnancies, but only lead women to seek illegal abortions.
However, pro-life experts say that anti-abortion laws do limit abortions from taking place.
"There is good public health data which shows that the incidence of abortion is significantly affected by its legal status," Dr. Michael New, a professor of economics at Ave Maria University in Florida, told LifeSiteNews. "There is a good body of research which shows that incremental pro-life laws have an effect."
"In a literature review, the Guttmacher Institute identified at least 15 studies which found that Medicaid funding of abortion increased abortion rates," he said.
Dr. New said the idea that contraceptive access decreases abortion rates is contradicted by the study's own data.
"Of all the areas in the world, contraceptive-friendly Western Europe had the highest increase in the abortion rate (in percentage terms) between 1990 and 2014," he said. "The abortion rate went from 13 to 18 -- a 38 percent increase."
