The use of induced abortion in Mauritius: alternative to fertility regulation or emergency procedure?

Abortion is illegal in Mauritius, but despite these legal restrictions abortions are very much part of the reproductive health picture in Mauritius. To examine why Mauritius women are risking their lives, their health, and their reproductive futures by engaging in illegally induced abortions, the Mauritius Family Planning Association conducted a study of 475 women treated in 3 hospitals with abortion complications during the period of January-April 1992. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection approaches were employed. The primary reason for abortion was unwanted pregnancy, which was perceived as a threat to the individual and the family and often resulted from the improper use of contraceptive methods such as withdrawal and natural family planning or from the lack of use of any family planning method at all. About 92.9% of the subjects used a crude and/or self-induced method to abort, which explains why these women suffer complications. The picture that emerges from these data shows a group of women committed to the improvement of their ability to control fertility in the future. Recommendations for future actions are outlined.