PROJECT
Research on Unwanted Pregnancies and Postabortion Complications in Pakistan
The Population Council, with funding from the Packard Foundation and in conjunction with the World Health Organization, the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the UK Department for International Development, and the United Nations Population Fund, launched the report on the "National Study on Unwanted Pregnancy and Postabortion Complications in Pakistan" on 8 October 2004. The study's aim was to achieve a better understanding of the magnitude of and underlying reasons for unwanted pregnancies and induced abortions in Pakistan.
The study was based on interviews with health professionals, a survey of health facilities, and interviews with women, men, and providers. Data were collected in all four of Pakistan’s provinces in both urban and rural communities. The study estimates the national abortion rate at 29 per 1,000 women of reproductive age, implying that a sizable proportion of Pakistani women have abortions. Older married women with several children are the group most likely to have unwanted pregnancies. About 890,000 unsafe induced abortions occur annually. In addition, about 200,000 women suffer from postabortion complications in Pakistan each year.
This study examined the complexity of some of the painful decisions made by women and men to avoid unwanted pregnancies and the health hazards attached to them.
Location
Nationwide
Duration
May 2001–May 2003
Population Council researchers
Zeba A. Sathar, Muhammad Shafique Arif, Gul Rashida, Zakir Hussain Shah
Non-Council collaborators
Alan Guttmacher Institute
UK Department for International Development
United Nations Population Fund
World Health Organization
Donor
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Publications/Resources
Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.
2004
Unwanted Pregnancy and Postabortion Complications in Pakistan: Findings from a National Study. Islamabad: Population Council. (PDF)
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