Less than 0.25% of abortions in the U.S. result in a major complication, and less than 1% of abortions result in a complication that is diagnosed and treated in an emergency room. The overall abortion complication rate is lower than those for wisdom tooth removal and tonsillectomy, which underscores the safety of legal abortion in the U.S.
File
Using billing data from California's state Medicaid program, ANSIRH researchers were able to analyze data for nearly 55,000 abortions, including all health care for up to six weeks after the abortion at any clinical site, including emergency rooms and hospitals. The results indicate that abortion is extremely safe, with less than a third the complications of wisdom tooth extraction.