An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced.
According to WHO, every year in the world there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day.
In the USA, where nearly half of pregnancies are unintended and four in 10 of these are terminated by abortion, there are over 3,000 abortions per day. Twenty-two % of all pregnancies in the USA (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.
Abortions are legal in most countries, but the grounds on which they are permitted vary
Abortion is allowed in most countries in order to save a woman's life (97% of countries).
Other commonly accepted reasons are -
preserving physical (67%) or mental health (63%)
Abortion in the case of rape or incest is accepted in about half of all countries (49%)
performing them because of economic or social reasons in about a third (34%)
Performing abortion only on the basis of a woman's request is allowed in 29% of all countries
In some countries additional procedures must be followed before the abortion can be carried out even if the basic grounds for it are fulfilled. For example, in the UK and Finland where abortions are not granted based merely on a woman's request, approval for each abortion must be obtained from two doctors