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Unsafe abortion refers to the termination of an unintended pregnancy either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an unhygienic environment or both. It is responsible for 13% of all maternal mortality or 68,000 deaths each year. At an international level, unsafe abortion has been recognized as a public health problem. The figures speak for themselves: according to the WHO, of the 200 million pregnancies which are registered every year, around 46 million are terminated, and only 60% are done so in safe medical conditions. In other words, there are over 18 million unsafe abortions every year. As a result, one woman dies every six minutes from unsafe abortion. Of those who live, many suffer serious consequences such as infertility or complications with future pregnancies. Médecins Sans Frontières medical teams all too often see women who are haemorrhaging, or have infections or injuries (to the uterus or elsewhere) from unsafe abortions.
Comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services can greatly reduce the number of unsafe abortions by offering safer alternatives through family planning and by identifying and treating complications during pregnancy early on. Where relevant Médecins Sans Frontières also ensures abortions are performed safely.