A victory for Virginia women, "personhood" bill defeated

[jgarden]

Abortion Rates Higher in Coutries That Outlaw It: New Study
January 19, 2012

Abortion is much more common in countries where it is illegal, according to a new study.

The study also said that nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe, with most occurring in developing countries.

Using official statistics, national surveys and hospital records, Sedgh and her team developed the following numbers:
• For every 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, 28 women had the procedure between 2003 and 2008.
• A total of 43.8 million woman aged 15 to 44 had abortions between 2003 and 2008. The rate
was dropping every year before 1995, but has remained stagnant between those two years.
• About 47,000 women died from unsafe abortion in 2008, while 8.5 million women had serious medical complications.
• The proportion of unsafe abortions rose from 44% in 1995 to 49% in 2008.
• Abortion rates tend to be higher in regions with more restrictive anti-abortion laws, like Latin American and Africa. In those regions, 95-97% of abortions were unsafe.
• Abortion rates are lowest in Western Europe (12 per 1,000) and highest in Eastern Europe (43 per 1,000).

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/284557/20120119/abortion-rates-higher-coutries-outlaw-new-study.htm

International studies indicate that passing laws doesn't reduce the abortion rate but by making them illegal does have a significant impact on the mother's safety.

Ironically, the lowest rates of abortion are in those countries in Western Europe (12 per 1,000), where they are readily available.

The determining factor appears to be the availability of contraception - another area our conservative "friends" would like to control.