SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
I- DEFINITION
II- THE CAUSES OF ABORTION
III- THE CONSEQUENCES OF ABORTION
IV- SOME PROPOSED SOLUTIONS TO ABORTION
CONCLUSION
1
INTRODUCTION
Abortion is an act that designates the destruction, whether desired or not, of the
fetus before natural birth. In Africa, many voluntary terminations of pregnancy
are performed each year. This decision is difficult to make and there are many
reasons why women decide to have an abortion.
In our analysis we will give the causes and consequences of abortion and then
we will propose solutions.
2
I- DEFINITION
An abortion, also called an abortion, is the process of ending a pregnancy so as
not to give birth to a baby.
II- THE CAUSES OF ABORTION
Almost all abortions result from unplanned pregnancies (those wanted later and
those unwanted at all). Of all regions in the world, sub-Saharan Africa has the
highest rate of unintended pregnancy, at 91 per 1,000 women
The reasons that encourage women to have an abortion are:
The fear of parents,
Willingness to continue studies,
The refusal of the pregnancy by the partner and the lack of financial
means.
The fear of the reaction of the parents or the family faced with a
pregnancy considered unacceptable and the problems of couples (refusal
of paternity, occasional partners,) explain certain terminations of
pregnancy.
These reasons are of varying importance depending on the age of the women
and their marital status.
The decision to abort is for young women largely dependent on the reaction of
the partner and his ability to accept paternity. Studies conducted in Côte d'Ivoire
emphasize the weight of family reasons in decisions to perform abortion:
unstable unions, refusal to recognize the child by the father, partner's request,
couple problems, fear a scandal or a reaction from the parents.
III- THE CONSEQUENCES OF ABORTION
Abortion has many consequences for women:
The stigma associated with abortion poses risks to the physical and mental
well-being of women throughout their lives.
Maternal deaths attributed to unsafe abortion. It is estimated that in
developing regions there are 220 deaths per 100,000 unsafe abortions
Physical health risks associated with unsafe abortion:
3
• Incomplete evacuation (the tissues and products of pregnancy have not been
completely removed or expelled from the uterus);
• Hemorrhages (profuse bleeding);
• Infections;
• Perforations of the uterus (when the uterus has been perforated by a pointed or
sharp object); and injury to the genitals and internal organs by inserting
dangerous objects into the vagina.
IV- SOME PROPOSED SOLUTIONS TO ABORTION
Many measures are needed at the legal level, as well as at the health system and
community levels, so that anyone who abortion care needs can access it:
• Respect for human rights, including an enabling legal and policy framework
• The availability and accessibility of information and a health system able to
provide the expected support, accessible to all, affordable and effective.
• Provision of contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
• Provision of comprehensive, evidence-based sex education and accurate,
unbiased, evidence-based information on abortion and contraceptive methods.
4
CONCLUSION
To conclude, we can say that induced abortions are frequent among young girls,
that self-medication and traditional therapy are the most used remedies,
exposing women to infectious and hemorrhagic complications. In view of all
this, we recommend the intensification of sex education, access for young
people to modern contraception, their awareness of the risks associated with
unwanted pregnancies and non-medical remedies and the strengthening of the
quality and accessibility of services offering post abortion care. A reform of the
law governing abortion should be carried out head-on. In addition, it is advisable
to carry out a larger-scale study in order to better understand the phenomenon of
abortion as well as the factors associated with it.
