Unsafe Abortion: A Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital

The study was conducted by the department of Forensic Medicine in collaboration with the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Rohilkhand Medical College and Hospital, Bareilly, U.P. during one year period. A total of 150 married women presented for seeking abortion related services were included in the study. 34.67% women first contacted qualified doctors and equal number of cases reported directly to Rohilkhand Medical College Hospital whereas 30.66% women first contacted to unqualified persons. Among unqualified, quacks constituted major chunk (23.33%), followed by midwives (4%) and nurses (3.33%). Abortion providers unsuccessfully attempted to terminate the pregnancy in 54.67% women by using various abortifacient. In 75.33% of cases, there was no any history of ultrasonographic exposure. None of the cases reported any incidence of physical domestic violence culminating into abortion. Majority of the women (78%) wanted to disclose to her family members or relatives regarding abortion.