Exaggerated Abortion Statistics?

Pro-lifers have known for some time that the deaths from illegal abortion have been greatly exaggerated. Ramesh Ponuru summarizes the case in his book The Party of Death . Here is a more recent accusation.

Paul Tully, Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) general secretary, commented: "The author of this story works for one of the most wealthy and politically powerful pro-abortion lobby groups in the world, the Wall Street-based Guttmacher Institute. The "research" was funded by the Hewlett Foundation, a notoriously pro-abortion body.

"Reports of the study claim that Dr Singh found out about the rate of admission to hospital following complications from unsafe abortion. This is not what she did. Dr Singh's "findings" were not factual data established by research, but guesses extrapolated from estimates.

"The burden of the study is clearly to promote the killing of more unborn babies in poorer countries, regardless of the fact that women do not want abortions.

"Marge Berer (Editor, Reproductive Health Matters), supports Singh's study, saying: "When legal restrictions on abortion are reduced, the rate of deaths and morbidity decreases greatly." This is contradicted by hard data from Poland, which imposed new legal restrictions on abortion in the mid 1990s and consequently showed improved maternal and infant health."

I wish Mr. Tully were more specific, or that LifeSite News had given a link to further information. This is a serious charge, if true. It needs further corroboration than given here. Does anyone know anything more specific?