Why do they take the risk? A systematic review of the qualitative literature on informal sector abortions in settings where abortion is legal
Loading...
Authors
Chemlal, Sonia
Russo, Giuliano
Issue Date
2019
Type
Article
Language
en
Keywords
Unsafe abortion , Legal abortion , Informal sector abortion , Women’s rights , Systematic reviews
Alternative Title
Abstract
Background:Restrictive abortion laws are the single most important determinant of unsafe abortion, a major, yetpreventable, global health issue. While reviews have been conducted on the extent of the phenomenon, no study has sofar analysed the evidence of why women turn to informal sectorproviders when legal alternatives are available. This workprovides a systematic review of the qualitative literature on informal sector abortion in setting where abortion is legal.Methods:We used the PRISMA guidelines to search Pubmed, Web of Science, Sciencedirect and Google Scholardatabases between January and February 2018. 2794 documents in English and French were screened for eligibilityagainst pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Articles investigating women’sreasonsforabortingintheinformal sector in settings where abortion is legal were included.In total, sixteen articles were identified as eligible for thisreview. Findings were reported following the PRISMA guidelines.Results:The review highlights the diverse reasons women turn to the informal sector, as abortions outside of legal healthfacilities were reported to be a widespread and normalisedpractice in countries where legal abortion is provided.Women cited a range of reasons for aborting in the informal sector; these included fear of mistreatment by staff, longwaiting lists, high costs, inability to fulfil regulations, privacy concerns and lack of awareness about the legality of abortionor where to procure a safe and legal abortion. Not only was unsafe abortion spoken of in terms of medical and physicalsafety, but also in terms of social and economic security.Conclusion:The use of informal sector abortions (ISAs) is a widespread and normalised practice in many countriesdespite the liberalisation of abortion laws. Although ISAs are not inherently unsafe, the practice in a setting where it isillegal will increase the likelihood that women will not be given the necessary information, or that they will be punished.This study brings to the fore the diverse reasons why women opt to abort outside formal healthcare settings and theirissueswithprovisionofabortionservicesinlegalcontexts,providing an evidence base for future research and policies.
Description
Citation
Chemlal, S., Russo, G. Why do they take the risk? A systematic review of the qualitative literature on informal sector abortions in settings where abortion is legal. BMC Women's Health 19, 55 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-019-0751-0
Publisher
BMC Women's Health volume
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
1472-6874