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Who Seeks Abortion in Asia? An Epidemiological Overview
Author(s) -
Saha Anjali,
Pachauri Saroj,
Miller Eva
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
the journal of the asian federation of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 0377-0532
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0756.1977.tb00344.x
Subject(s) - east asia , abortion , fertility , demography , total fertility rate , family planning , parity (physics) , developing country , birth rate , geography , socioeconomics , medicine , population , pregnancy , china , research methodology , economic growth , sociology , biology , economics , physics , archaeology , particle physics , genetics
ABSTRACT This paper deals with the socio‐demographic characteristics and reproductive profiles of women seeking induced and incomplete abortions in India and East Asia (Thailand, South Korea, The Philippines, and Indonesia). From January 1971 through December 1974, data were collected on 10,402 cases from India and 5,874 cases from East Asia. Of the cases studied in India, 94.5 percent were induced abortions. In East Asia 80.0 percent were incomplete abortions . The majority of the women were from 20 to 29 years of age both in India and East Asia. The mean parity was between two and three for both the groups. The educational status of the women in India and East Asia were not high. Their husbands had a higher level of education. The proportion of women gainfully employed was higher in East Asia . The proportion of women with high fertility was higher for induced abortion cases than for incomplete abortion cases, both in India and East Asia. Extension of the child‐bearing period by ten years increased the already high mean pregnancies by at least two pregnancies — the effect being more pronounced in East Asia. Women of high fertility had a significantly higher child loss rate. Induced abortion had a negative effect on fertility . In this study a significant majority of women of parity one to three wanted to limit their family size to three children. Most women who already had four or more children did not want anymore .