Induced abortion potential among Indian women
Mishra, U.S.; Ramanathan, M.; Rajan, S.I.
Social Biology 45(3-4): 278-288
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-766X PMID: 10085740 Document Number: 281348
An increase in the prevalence of abortion is mainly counted in terms of an increase in the prevalence of induced abortions which, in turn, reflects the status of women's reproductive health. The growing concern for women's reproductive health has fueled the study of abortion among researchers worldwide. The authors assess the induced abortion potential among women in India by using information on the proportion of unwanted and ill-timed pregnancies obtained through the National Family Health Survey, India. The number of births reported as ill-timed and unwanted was used to calculate potential abortion rates by age for the 15 major states in India. The distribution of ill-timed and unwanted births indicates that unwanted births occur mainly among women over age 30 years, while ill-timed births are concentrated more among younger women. The total potential for abortion is highest in Uttar Pradesh and lowest in Gujarat. The peak ages for abortion potential is 20-24 years in 10 of the 14 major states, while that peak is at ages 25-29 years in Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Uttar Pradesh. The potential for induced abortion is expected to decline with improved access to limiting services and overall improvement in the quality of family planning services for birth spacing.