Untrained hands wreaking havoc with Pak women seeking abortion

Islamabad, May 22 (ANI): Despite the rise in abortions in Pakistan under unsafe conditions due to cultural taboos, the government has not carried out a national study on causes and increasing frequency of abortion incidences since 2002.

A previous study carried out in 2002 estimated that 890,000 abortions occurred in that year with an abortion rate of 29 per 1000 women of reproductive age.

"Poor women are forced to rely on the least trained health service providers who charge less for an abortion and offer less safe procedures," Daily Times quoted Susheela Singh, the Cuttmacher Institute vice president, as saying.

She also stated that only rich or well to do women could afford better medical services.

Glaring statistics revealed that of every 100 pregnancies, 14 ended in induced abortions. NWFP and Balochistan were found with high rate of abortions.

Contraceptive methods are limited to mere 30 percent women, whereas the rest, due to fatalistic views, opt for abortions in case of unintended pregnancies. (ANI)