In 2005, Ethiopia amended its penal code to expand the circumstances in which abortion is legal. Although the country has expanded access to abortion and postabortion care, the last estimates of abortion incidence date from 2008. This study collected data in 2014 and found that an estimated 620,300 induced abortions were performed in Ethiopia that year. The annual abortion rate was 28 per 1,000 women aged 15–49, an increase from 22 per 1,000 in 2008. The authors conclude that, although the increases in the number of women obtaining legal abortions and postabortion care are consistent with improvements in women’s access to health care, a substantial number of abortions continue to occur outside of health facilities, a reality that must be addressed.
Year: 2016