IN THE Dominican Republic last month, a pregnant teenager
suffering from leukaemia had her chemotherapy delayed, because
doctors feared the treatment could terminate her pregnancy,
violating the nation’s strict anti-abortion law.  After
consultations between doctors, lawyers, and the girl’s family,
chemotherapy was started, but not before attention had again
been focused on the rigidity of many developing countries’
abortion laws.  Abortion receives extensive coverage in
developed countries, especially in the United States, where
Republicans have used opposition to it to rally voters. But much
less attention is given to the 86 per cent of all abortions that
occur in the developing world. Although most countries in Africa
and Latin America have laws prohibiting abortion in most
circumstances, official bans do not prevent high abortion rates.
In Africa, there are 29 abortions per 1,000 women, and 32 per
1,000 in Latin America. The comparable figure for Western
Europe, where abortion is generally permitted in m