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Cited by 42Reproductive Health and ContraceptionInternational Human Rights and Reproductive LawDemographic Trends and Gender Preferences

The Incidence of Induced Abortion in the Philippines: Current Level and Recent Trends

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Juarez, Fatima, Cabigon, Josefina, Singh, Susheela, Hussain, Rubina·2005·International Family Planning Perspectives
DOI 10.1363/3114005
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Abstract

CONTEXT: In the Philippines, abortion is legally restricted. Nevertheless, many women obtain abortions--often in unsafe conditions--to avoid unplanned births. In 1994, the estimated abortion rate was 25 per 1,000 women per year; no further research on abortion incidence has been conducted in the Philippines. METHODS: Data from 1,658 hospitals were used to estimate abortion incidence in 2000 and to assess trends between 1994 and 2000, nationally and by region. An indirect estimation methodology was used to calculate the total number of women hospitalized for complications of induced abortion in 2000 (averaged data for 1999-2001), the total number of women having abortions and the rate of induced abortion. RESULTS: In 2000, an estimated 78,900 women were hospitalized for postabortion care, 473,400 women had abortions and the abortion rate was 27 per 1,000 women aged 15-44 per year. The national abortion rate changed little between 1994 and 2000; however, large increases occurred in metropolitan Manila (from 41 to 52) and Visayas (from 11 to 17). The proportions of unplanned births and unintended pregnancies increased substantially in Manila, and the use of traditional contraceptive methods increased in Manila and Visayas. CONCLUSION: The increase in the level of induced abortion seen in some areas may reflect the difficulties women experience in obtaining modern contraceptives as a result of social and political constraints that affect health care provision. Policies and programs regarding both postabortion care and contraceptive services need improvement.

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  • In the Philippines, unsafe abortion rates are 52 in metropolitan Manila and 17 in more rural parts.

    “However, great differences between urban and rural Philippines have been documented, with unsafe abortion rates of 52 in metropolitan Manila and 17 in more rural parts of the country (10).”

    From Unsafe abortion and postabortion care - an overview (2011) · cites this paper as [10]

    The Abortion Incidence in 2000 section reports 52 induced abortions per 1,000 women in Manila and 17 in Visayas, a less urban region. But 17 is not the rate for all more rural parts: the paper reports 18 in Mindanao and 27 in the rest of Luzon. It reports these as induced-abortion rates, not specifically unsafe-abortion rates; page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • In the Philippines, 473,400 women had an unsafe abortion in 2000 and the unsafe abortion rate was 27 per 1000 women.

    “For instance, in the Philippines, where abortion is prohibited altogether, 473 400 women had an unsafe abortion in 2000 and the rate of unsafe abortion was reported to be 27 (10).”

    From Unsafe abortion and postabortion care - an overview (2011) · cites this paper as [10]

    The Abortion Incidence in 2000 section reports 473,400 induced abortions and a rate of 27 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 per year. But the paper describes its estimate as covering abortions “safe or unsafe”; it does not say that all 473,400 were unsafe abortions or give 27 as an unsafe-abortion rate. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Cites

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2 of the 16 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 11

  1. Ramoso-Jalbuena J and Ladines-Llave C, Septic abor- tion: a five-year review at the Philippine General Hospital (1979-1983), Philippine Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1988, 12(4):143-155;
  2. Singh S, Wulf D and Jones H, Induced abortion in South Central and Southeast Asia: results of a survey of health professionals, International Family Planning Perspectives, 1997, 23(2):59-67.
  3. Bongaarts J and Potter RG, Fertility, Biology and Behavior, New York: Academic Press, 1983;
  4. and Singh S, Incidence of unsafe abortion and resulting mortality and morbidity: a review of data, methods and information gaps, paper presented at the Workshop on Research on the Economic Impact of Abortion-related Mortality and Morbidity, New York, Apr. 26, 2005.
  5. Bongaarts J and Potter R, 1983, op. cit. (see reference 12); and Harlap S, Shiono PH and Ramcharan S, A life table of spontaneous abortions and the effects of age, parity and other variables, in: Hook EB and Porter I, eds., Human Embryonic and Fetal Death, New York: Academic Press, 1980, pp. 145-158.
  6. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Development, Abortion Policies: A Global Review, Vol. III, New York: United Nations, 1995.
  7. Shire A and Pesso L, Changing policies and attitudes: postabortion care in the Philippines, Compass, 2003, No. 1, pp. 1-4.
  8. Ramosa-Jalbuena J, Baltazar JC and Villamosa CR, Septic abortion: a report on 709 cases, Journal of the Philippine Medical Association, 1978, gestation, European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 1997, 2(3):181-185;
  9. Population Council, Needs and services assessed in the Philippines, Population Briefs, 2001, Vol. 7, No. 3; and Casterline JB, Perez AE and Biddlecom AE, Factors underlying unmet need in the Philippines, Studies in Family Planning, 1997, 28(3):173-191. 32. Ibid.
  10. Shah IH, Cleland JG and Ali MM, Contraceptive use patterns and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, paper presented at the National Institutes of Health Conference on HIV and Hormonal Contraceptives, Washington, DC, Jan. 2002.
  11. Leonardo Z and Legaspi OP, Guiding principles of the Catholic bish- ops' conference of the Philippines on population control, <http://www. cbcponline.org/documents/1990s/1990-population_control.html>, accessed Apr. 3, 2003.

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Authors
Juarez, F., Cabigon, J., Singh, S., & Hussain, R.
Affiliations
  • Guttmacher Institute (US)
  • University of the Philippines System (PH)
ORCID
Venue
International Family Planning Perspectives
Publisher
Guttmacher Institute
Published
2005-09
Volume
31
Issue
03
Pages
140-149
ISSN
0190-3187 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1363/3114005
OpenAlex
W2024540216
Cited by
42
References
16
Citations by year
2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 4
FWCI
3.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • International Family Planning Perspectives (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Health and Contraception
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › International Human Rights and Reproductive Law
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences
Keywords
abortion, abortion incidence, post-abortion care, unplanned births, unintended pregnancy, contraceptive use, traditional contraceptive methods, abortion policy, hospitalization data, Philippines
MeSH terms
Abortion, Induced, Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Medical Audit, Middle Aged, Philippines, Pregnancy

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