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It's estimated there are 22 million unsafe abortions every year, resulting in 22,000 deaths. A new study looked at the global cost of unsafe abortions, including the many women who are treated for complications of botched procedures. The Guttmacher Institute said unsafe abortion accounts for up to 15 percent of maternal deaths every year. What's more, seven million women annually are treated at medical facilities after complications set in. The institute is a non-profit organization that says it aims to "advance sexual and reproductive health and rights through...research, policy analysis and public education." Its study is based on health statistics and scientific studies from 26 developing countries. Dr. Susheela Singh is the lead author of the study published in BJOG – an international journal of obstetrics and gynecology. She described how the procedure can be unsafe. "That means that the woman either went to a provider who is not trained to provide this service. Not formally trained. Doesn't have the right skills. Or she goes to a place that is unhygienic. So there is a risk of infection even if the person is trained." She said unsafe abortions can be performed by a variety of people in different settings. "It could be a midwife, informal midwife, a trained birth attendant at the lower end of the qualification scale. And it could even be a nurse, a trained nurse, or an MD. But they may not have the training to do the abortion or they are doing it under conditions that aren't very hygienic," she said. | 
