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CAPRI launches report on the social costs of unequal access to safe abortion in Jamaica

On Thursday, February 4, 2021, the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) with the financial support of the European Union launched its latest report “Coming to Terms: The Social Costs of Unequal Access to Safe Abortions". The launch took place via a web forum, livestreamed to the public via YouTube, Periscope, and CAPRI’s website.

Coming to Terms: The Social Costs of Unequal Access to Safe Abortions
Event Date: 
Thursday, February 4, 2021 - 11:00
Event Address: 
Jamaica
Jamaica
Kingston
Kingston
Jamaica
February, 2021
Thematic Area: 

Abortion is illegal in Jamaica. It is, however, easily obtainable, albeit with varying degrees of safety. In Jamaica, complications from abortion is the third leading cause of maternal death. Complications from unsafe abortions burden the public health system and exact economic, societal, familial, and individual costs. The familial and individual costs are disproportionately borne by poor, vulnerable women and their dependents. There are financial and opportunity costs of unsafe abortion morbidity and mortality as borne by the public health system when women seek treatment from complications arising from unsafe terminations (or attempted terminations.) Finally, there are legal costs: women who seek medical services to safely terminate a pregnancy, and medical practitioners who provide those services, risk arrest and prosecution. This report examines the negative societal and individual outcomes resulting from the unlawfulness of safe termination of pregnancy in Jamaica, and measures the economic impact of those negative outcomes.

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