ESTIMATING THE LEVEL OF ABORTION IN THE PHILIPPINES AND BANGLADESH

In countries where data on induced abortion are underreported or nonex istent-such as the Philippines and Bangladesh-indirect estimation tech niques may be used to approximate the level of abortion. The collectio n of data about women hospitalized for abortion complications and the use of such indirect estimation techniques indicates that the abortion rate in the Philippines is within the range of 20-30 induced abortion s per 1,000 women aged 15-49, and the rate in Bangladesh ranges betwee n 26 and 30 per 1,000. About 400,000 abortions are estimated to occur each year in the Philippines, while the number in Bangladesh is calcul ated to be about 730,000. Some 80,000 women per year are estimated to be treated in hospitals in the Philippines for complications of induce d abortion; in Bangladesh, about 52,000 women are treated for such com plications and another 19,000 are treated for complications resulting from menstrual regulation procedures. The probability that a woman wil l be hospitalized for abortion complications in the Philippines is twi ce that in Bangladesh, probably because menstrual regulation procedure s by trained providers account for about two-thirds of all voluntary p regnancy terminations in Bangladesh.