Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, August 13, 2009 -
by Aracely Ornelas
The world's largest abortion provider, International Planned Parenthood Federation, has recently acknowledged an alarming "surge" in maternal deaths in South Africa, challenging the pro-abortion mantra that liberal abortion laws decrease maternal mortality. Maternal deaths increased by 20% in the period 2005-2007 in South Africa, a country that since 1996 has had one of the most permissive abortion laws on the African continent.
While deaths attributable to HIV/AIDS account for the biggest portion of maternal deaths in South Africa, IPPF acknowledges that a portion of deaths are "due to complications of abortion" in a country where the procedure is legal and widely available.
Developing countries have been badgered in recent years by various United Nations agencies and pro-abortion civil society organizations, including IPPF, to decriminalize abortion as a measure to reduce maternal mortality rates. However, the latest IPPF revelation is the latest fact in a growing body of evidence showing the opposite relationship in which legal abortion and high maternal deaths coincide.
To illustrate, the nation with the lowest African maternal mortality rate is Mauritius, according to a 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) report. Mauritius' laws are among the continent's most protective of the unborn. The report further shows how countries that have decriminalized abortion in recent years in response to pressure, such as Ethiopia, have failed to lower dramatic maternal death rates. Ethiopia's maternal death rate is 48 times higher than in Mauritius.
According to WHO, the country with the lowest maternal mortality rate in South America is Chile, which protects unborn life in its constitution. The country with the highest is Guyana, with a maternal mortality rate 30 times higher than in Chile. Guyana has allowed abortion without almost any restriction since in 1995. Ironically, one of two main justifications used in liberalizing Guyana's law was to enhance the "attainment of safe motherhood" by eliminating deaths and complications associated with unsafe abortion....
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Before jumping to conclusions, we should remember that correlation does not imply causation. For example, it is widely known that in areas with a high density of churches, there is also a high crime rate. Does that mean churches cause crime? No. The third factor that more churches = more people is the real cause of the high crime rates.
In this article the author compares countries like Ethiopia and Mauritius and states that restricted abortion laws in Mauritius versus liberal ones in Ethiopia translates into the reason why maternal deaths are lower in Mauritius. But it could also be explained by the fact that Mauritius is 16x richer than Ethiopia (according to GDP per capita).
More money = better health care = lower maternal mortality rates. This same relation is also found in the Guyana/Chile and Nepal/Sri Lanka examples the author cites. This doesn't mean abortion has no impact on mortality, but only that there is not enough evidence to suggest that it is the only factor affecting maternal mortality.
This has been common knowledge for years, I guess now that the all knowing, all wise UN has declared it to be so, now it is. Now maybe we can criminalize abortion again!