A recent United Nations report on international abortion policies reveals that while most countries worldwide allow abortion in extreme cases in order to save the life of the mother, only 28 percent allow abortion on demand.
The percentage of countries that allow abortion for "fetal impairment" is also a minority, with 45 percent offering the option.
There is a strongly marked divide, however, between the wealthier and the poorer regions of the world regarding abortion. A total of 84 percent of the richer regions allow abortion for "fetal impairment," versus only 32 percent of the poorer regions.
In wealthier nations, an unbelievable 78 percent allow abortion for economic or social reasons. Only 19 percent of poorer areas allow it in those circumstances.
Basing its numbers on 2000 to 2005 statistics, the report states that the world fertility rate is 2.6 children born to each woman during her lifetime.
