Cates W, Rochat R W, Grimes D A, Tyler C W
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1978 Sep 15;132(2):211-4. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(78)90926-2.
Both non-abortion-related maternal and abortion-related mortality declined prior to the Supreme Court decisions of 1973. In order to determine the effect of legalized abortion on maternal mortality, we have analyzed the secular trends in national abortion mortality ratios for 1940 through 1976, compared the trends to those maternal mortality ratios, and hypothesized reasons for differences between these trends. Between 1940 and 1950 and after 1965, deaths from abortion declined more rapidly than deaths from other causes associated with childbirth. However, between 1951 and 1965, maternal mortality related to pregnancy of childbirth declined more rapidly than abortion-related mortality. Five possible explanations exist for the more rapid decline in abortion deaths since 1965--selected underreporting, changes in coding practices, improved safety of illegal abortion, introduction of more effective contraception, and increased availability of legal abortion. We consider the last two explanations as the most likely reasons for the accelerated decline in abortion-related deaths.
在1973年最高法院做出裁决之前，与堕胎无关的孕产妇死亡率和与堕胎相关的死亡率均有所下降。为了确定堕胎合法化对孕产妇死亡率的影响，我们分析了1940年至1976年全国堕胎死亡率的长期趋势，将这些趋势与孕产妇死亡率进行了比较，并推测了这些趋势之间存在差异的原因。1940年至1950年期间以及1965年之后，堕胎死亡人数的下降速度比与分娩相关的其他原因导致的死亡人数下降速度更快。然而，在1951年至1965年期间，与妊娠分娩相关的孕产妇死亡率下降速度比与堕胎相关的死亡率下降速度更快。对于自1965年以来堕胎死亡人数下降更快的情况，存在五种可能的解释——选择性漏报、编码做法的改变、非法堕胎安全性的提高、更有效的避孕措施的引入以及合法堕胎的可及性增加。我们认为最后两种解释是与堕胎相关死亡人数加速下降的最可能原因。
