As a growing number of non-communist countries outlaw abortion, the services available for women who need them are outside the purview of public health services. The inspection, advice and cooperation processes which ensure that health services maintain a suitable level of quality are not applied to abortion clinics.
In 1996 it was reported that nearly 75,000 women in the Third World die annually as a result of complications after self-induced abortions. It is possible that in some communities the mortality rate from illegal abortions reaches or exceeds 1,000 per 100,000 abortions. One third of the abortions in developing countries in 1994 were conducted without medical supervision.