make Brazilian law on abortion even stricter. History Abortion was criminalized in all circumstances in the penal code from 1890. In 1940, the penal code provisions on abortion waived punishment on abortion in the case of rape or incest, or if the pregnant women's life was in danger. A presidential decree in 1941, as amended in 1979, banned the advertising of a process, substance, or object designed to prevent pregnancy or cause an abortion. Statistics The number of clandestine abortions taking place in Brazil is a controversial subject which divides anti-abortion and abortion rights activists. A study published by the International Journal of Women's Health in 2014, estimated that in Brazil about 48 thousand clandestine abortions occurs annually. Abortion rights institutes like Anis - Bioethics Institute, however, estimate a much higher number. More recent studies published in the International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics suggest that, despite Brazil's severe legislation, 500,000 illegal abortions are estimated to occur every year among women aged 18–39 years – or one in five Brazilian women. Impact to women's health In 2010, it was reported that 200,000 women a year were hospitalized for complications due to abortion (which includes both miscarriages and clandestine abortions). More recent figures estimate that around 250,000 women are hospitalized every year due to illegal abortion complications, or 50% of all illegal abortions estimated per year. Those figures contrast with 2–5% of women requiring medical care after an abortion in countries where abortion is legal. The majority of women admitted at hospital after an illegal abortion are uninsured, representing a government cost of more than US$10 million every year. More than 200 women die every year in Brazil, as a direct consequence of unsafe abortions. The prevalence of reproductive complications and other negative health consequences associated with illegal abortion is unknown. Methods In a 2005 survey, one third of the Brazilian doctors who reported having performed abortions, used dilation and curettage. They have little experience with vacuum aspiration but they are aware of it as a method. They have a general awareness of medical abortion using misoprostol (Cytotec) or other prostaglandins to induce abortion but less experience with it. Few know of newer and more effective regimens using mifepristone or methotrexate. The 2005 survey also found considerable ignorance of Brazil's law on abortion, with only 48% of the physicians knowing that it is legal to save a woman's life and widespread