Questions about abortion

What Is the Difference Between Clandestine Abortion and Unsafe Abortion?

Clandestine abortion is not always unsafe abortion. An abortion is considered clandestine when the termination of a pregnancy is carried out outside or on the margins of the law. Unsafe abortion, on the other hand, is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “a procedure for terminating an unintended pregnancy, carried out either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both.”

According to the WHO, each year between 4.7 and 13.2 percent of maternal deaths worldwide are caused by unsafe abortions. However, in prohibitive legal contexts, a medication abortion that is properly advised and accompanied may be clandestine without being unsafe, as it does not put at risk the life or health of women and other people with the capacity to gestate.

Distinguishing between these two terms is important. When prohibitive and punitive regulations criminalize women and other pregnant people who decide to have an abortion, the role of collectives and support networks, including accompaniment organizations, becomes fundamental in the provision of safe abortions—as long as they follow protocols endorsed by the WHO. This organization has also established that the risk of complications from a safe abortion is very low (less than 1 percent). As a result, the likelihood that women and other pregnant people will experience long-term health effects, including effects on their reproductive health, is minimal.

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