Unintended Pregnancy And Induced Abortion In the Philippines:Causes and Consequences

Each year in the Philippines, hundreds of thousands of women become pregnant without intending to, and many women with unintended pregnancies decide to end them by abortion. Because abortion is legal only to save a woman's life, most procedures are clandestine, and many are carried out in unsafe circumstances. Unsafe abortion can endanger women' s reproductive health and lead to serious, often life-threatening complications. Furthermore, unsafe abortions impose a heavy burden on women, their families and society by virtue of the serious health consequences that often ensue: These health problems can keep women from work and school.