Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. It can be performed either by surgery or with medication (medical termination of pregnancy or medical abortion). Both methods are very safe and widely used. This paper will discuss why an abortion can save lives. In particular, it will argue why medical termination of pregnancy should be promoted as the preferred method, especially in developing and low income countries where the rates of maternal mortality are unacceptably high. Comparing to the surgical procedure, the easiness alongside the safety is amongst the numerous advantages of the method. However, the lack of abortion related health education and promotion of medical termination of pregnancy haven’t given it the necessary recognition. It is however encouraging that the WHO and the medical community acknowledge the fact that medical abortion plays a crucial role in the provision of access to effective, safe and acceptable abortion care.

Keywords: Maternal Mortality, Unsafe Abortion, Termination of Pregnancy, Medical Abortion