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Abortion Around the World

T he situation regarding abortion differs in various countries around the world because of factors such as access to education, religion, and wealth: In the Netherlands , abortion rates are relatively very low because women can get cheap, safe contraception and receive comprehensive sex education in school. In 2008 (the most recent year for which glob- al data on abortion is available), there were 27,600 abortions in the Netherlands, or 8 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. Brazil is the world’s most populous Roman Catholic country, with about 140 million people. In Brazil, abortion is illegal except in cases where a child was conceived after a rape, when the mother’s life is in danger, or when the fetus has severe genetic abnormalities. Although exact numbers are impossible to determine, experts estimate that Brazilian women undergo an estimated 500,000 to 1 million abortions every year. Although most abortions are illegal, prosecution for this crime is relatively rare. Zambia was the first country in Africa south of the Sahara Desert to make abortions legal, but the country is so poor that there are not enough doctors to perform them. As a result, safe and sanitary abor- tions are inaccessible to many women, who often resort to illegal abor- tions in conditions that are more likely to result in the mother’s death.

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Abortion