The death rate for women who have medical abortions is one in 160,000. By comparison, in full term pregnancies, the death rate is one for every 16,000 successful deliveries. In the years before abortion was legal, from the late 1800s until the famous Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision of 1973, more pregnant women died from infections, retained placentas, poisoning, shock, profuse bleeding and other complications brought on by self-induced abortions or abortions performed by unqualified practitioners than from any other single cause. In parts of the world where abortion is still illegal, these remain a leading cause of maternal death. Approximately 1.3 million women choose to have a medical abortion performed each year.
Some women experience menstrual-like cramping during an abortion and for up to an hour afterward.
Most women report that this cramping is uncomfortable but not painful. Vaginal bleeding, similar to a menstrual period, generally occurs after an abortion is completed. For the most part, the earlier in pregnancy an abortion is performed, the less likely there will be medical complications. Despite the limited complications and risks involved, medical abortion is one of the most controversial domestic issues in American society.