Womens Health

Since banning abortion in 1989, Chile has seen a sharp decline in the rate of maternal deaths, a new study has shown.

Proponents of legal abortion often argue that bans on the practice increase the dangers of pregnancy, especially since some women procure unsafe illegal abortions. But a study published in a Chilean medical journal shows that a dramatic trend in the opposite direction.

Since 1989, the rate of maternal mortality in Chile has plummeted from 4.1% to 1.3%, given the country the 2nd-best record in the Western hemisphere. During the past decade, the country’s health ministry has reported no increase in the number of women hospitalized because of complications from illegal abortions.