UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Population Fund says new research shows that nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide — 121 million annually — are unintended, which it calls “a neglected crisis.” In its annual report released Wednesday, the fund says over 60% of unintended pregnancies end in abortion and an estimated 45% of abortions are unsafe, causing 5% to 13% of maternal deaths. The fund’s director call’s the report “a wakeup call.” Dr. Natalia Kanem says that “the staggering number of unintended pregnancies represents a global failure to uphold women and girls’ basic human rights.”
Photo: Miracle Allen rubs her stomach as she relaxes before meeting with the midwife at Sisters in Birth, a Jackson, Miss., clinic that serves pregnant women, Dec. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
