Abortion care is both safe and effective in the U.S., according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
For the report, titled "The Safety and Quality of Abortion Care in the United States," researchers conducted a comprehensive review of U.S. abortion care to assess the safety and quality of four abortion methods: medication, aspiration, dilation and evacuation, and induction.
The report found 90 percent of abortions occur within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and complications from the procedure are rare. While researchers concluded abortions were safe and effective, they noted the quality of abortion care was dependent on where women live, as some states have regulations that can interfere with safe abortions. "Abortion-specific regulations in many states create barriers to safe and effective care," the researchers wrote.
For example, 27 states require women to wait at least 24 hours for an abortion, and 11 states require women to undergo an ultrasound before the procedure, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research group for reproductive and sexual health. The report said these waiting periods and testing requirements can cause long care delays, as women may need to travel long distances to receive care or have trouble scheduling appointments.
"Abortion is safer when it's performed earlier in gestation," Hal Lawrence, MD, CEO of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told NPR. "And so delaying and making people wait and go through hoops of unnecessary, extra procedures does not improve the safety. And actually by having them delay, can actually worsen the safety."
To download a copy of the report, click here.