<Li> Abortion percentage--number of abortions out of 100 known pregnancies (pregnancies include live births, abortions and miscarriages) </Li> <P> In many places, where abortion is illegal or carries a heavy social stigma, medical reporting of abortion is not reliable . For this reason, estimates of the incidence of abortion must be made without determining certainty related to standard error . </P> <P> The number of abortions performed worldwide seems to have remained stable in recent years, with 41.6 million having been performed in 2003 and 43.8 million having been performed in 2008 . The abortion rate worldwide was 28 per 1000 women, though it was 24 per 1000 women for developed countries and 29 per 1000 women for developing countries . The same 2012 study indicated that in 2008, the estimated abortion percentage of known pregnancies was at 21% worldwide, with 26% in developed countries and 20% in developing countries . </P> <P> On average, the incidence of abortion is similar in countries with restrictive abortion laws and those with more liberal access to abortion . However, restrictive abortion laws are associated with increases in the percentage of abortions performed unsafely . The unsafe abortion rate in developing countries is partly attributable to lack of access to modern contraceptives; according to the Guttmacher Institute, providing access to contraceptives would result in about 14.5 million fewer unsafe abortions and 38,000 fewer deaths from unsafe abortion annually worldwide . </P>

What is the medical term for an abortion