GUWAHATI: Close to 5,80,100 abortions are performed every year in Assam, as per a study conducted by Indian Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, Population Council, New Delhi, and the New York-based Guttmacher Institute on unintended pregnancy, abortion and post-abortion care in Assam.
These include abortions taking place in public as well as private health facilities and other settings, according to the 2015 report. The study highlights the importance of access to and quality of safe abortion services in the state.
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The study mentioned that an estimated 90% of the abortions occurring in health facilities in Assam are surgical, while around 10% are done using Medical Methods of Abortion.
The state’s abortion rate was found to be 66 terminations per 1,000 women in the reproductive age group.
The study further stated that among the six states in which the study was conducted, Assam is the only state which had better access to safe abortions in public facilities than private facilities.
Apart from this, some of the hurdles which were found in accessing facility-based abortions included lack of trained staff, social or religious concerns, paucity of equipment and supplies and lack of registration/authorisation to provide abortion.
