Why did women use to die from abortion before it was legal?

Bleeding, infection: When abortion was uniformly illegal, desperate women would submit to "back alley" procedures performed by unlicensed, unregistered, unskilled persons under non-sterile conditions. Infections, which were life threatening, and uncontrolled bleeding often resulted. Of course the wealthy had skilled practioners paid to do this well. Abortion now can be safe but is under political attack.