Reducing unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion through contraceptive use

Unmet need for family planning, unintended pregnancy, and unsafely performed abortion are linked. Unintended pregnancy is the primary factor in the nearly 40 million abortions that occur each year globally, nearly half of which are performed in an unsafe or unhygienic way. With 97 percent of unsafely performed abortions and 99 percent of maternal deaths occurring in less developed countries, improving knowledge of and access to contraception is essential to prevent the unintended pregnancies that lead women to risk an unsafely performed abortion. This article was written by Eric Zuehlke, an editor at PRB.