In our previously reported study on the health impact of restricting public funds for abortions, we found no evidence of a statistically significant increase in the number of complications from illegal abortions. However, that study had several methodologic limitation which we attempted to correct in a subsequent investigation. We reviewed the medical records of women with abortion complications at several hospitals in each of 3 cities where public funding of legal abortions had been restricted (Cleveland, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Dallas, Texas). We compared the number of complications in 1 year before funding restriction with the number in 1 year during restriction. We performed the same analysis in hospitals in 3 cities where public funding for legal abortions had not been restricted (Denver, Colorado; Lansing, Michigan; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), as a geographic control group. we found no significant change in the number and proportion of publicly funded hospitalizations for complications of illegal or spontaneous abortions, but we did find a marked decrease in publicly funded hospitalizations for complications of legal abortions, from 19 (38%) to 2 (6%) (p , .01, chi-square test). If we assume that the number of complications reflects the number of abortions, then these finding confirm the implications of our previous study, i.e., that restriction of public funding for legal abortions has not increased the number of illegal abortions.
CDC Abortion Surveillance 1978 relevant section.
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