Abortion Risks
The risks are fewer when an abortion is done in the early weeks of pregnancy. The further along in the pregnancy, the greater the chance of serious complications and the greater the risk of dying from the abortion procedure. For example:
• One death per every 530,000 abortions if you are at eight weeks or less
• One death per 17,000 abortions for pregnancies at 16–20 weeks
• One death per 6,000 abortions at 21 weeks and more.
Other factors that affect the possibility of complications include:
• The skill and training of the doctor
• The kind of anesthesia used
• Your overall health
• Abortion procedure used