cepted. A study by Guilbert and Roter (1997) shows that numerous studies have shown that satisfaction ratings correlate positively with expert developed indices of technical quality. In their own study, the authors reported high levels of satisfaction which they thought might be interpreted as an indication of good care. It was found that the women's physical and emotional status immediately after the abortion were not as good as before the occurrence of the pregnancy, but at the same time, none of the women self rated their conditions as poor, reinforcing the idea that induced abortion is a relatively benign procedure. Prepregnancy health status was a very strong predictor of postabortion status, and it was not the procedure per se, but the condition, both physical and emotional, of the woman before the procedure that seemed to be of critical importance (Guilbert and Roter, 1997, 160-162).
Numerous studies show that there is a post abortion as well as a post partum depression that may affect women. In some parts of the world, 27 to 35 per cent of all maternal deaths can be attributed to abortion complications (Rance, 1997, 12), though this is much less likely in more modern American medical facilities. Problems with anesthesia can also cause complications and even death, though this is rare in American facilities as well. As David J. Birnbach, M.D., Director of Obstetric Anesthesiology, St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, stated in testimony before a congressional committee,
Safe doses of anesthesia to the mother certainly did not cause fetal demise when used for these oper
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