The Economic Cost of Unsafe Abortion: A Study of Post-Abortion Care Patients in Uganda

Due to a large unmet need for modern contraception in Uganda, many women resort to abortion to meet their fertility goals. However, abortion in Uganda is legally restricted, making a majority of the abortions in the country clandestine and unsafe. Apart from the dangerous health consequences, unsafe abortions also take an economic toll on the women who resort to it. Not only do these women have to pay for the abortion, they also have to pay for the treatment of its complications, and remain out of productive employment for the duration of their ill-health. Using data from a primary survey in Uganda, we examine the nature of these consequences to women and their households. Preliminary results show that that 61% of the women in our sample obtained an induced abortion. About 72% of them were under age 30, with a quarter being under age 20. Over half the women came from rural areas and were socially and economically disadvantaged. As indicated by our initial results, we expect to find that the negative economic consequences will be the strongest for the poorest women, who are more likely to slip deeper into poverty because of it.