Instead, where abortion is most restricted, it is more likely to be unsafe. Where abortion is legal and safe services are available, deaths and disability from abortion are greatly reduced. Prompted by the evidence, some countries have rethought their laws. Legislation in Democratic Republic of Congo changed in April Since then, all medical facilities have the obligation to provide termination of pregnancy for women who have been victims of rape or sexual abuse, or whose physical or mental health is at risk.
Mozambique revised its stance four years earlier, in , allowing for cost-free abortion for all women in the first trimester, and up to 24 weeks under special circumstances in approved facilities by qualified practitioners. Although a significant proportion of the population may remain opposed, as in Mozambique, when laws do ease they can lead to palpable change for women—like for Amanda.
Now she could have access to an option that was truly safe. Liberalisation and decriminalisation of abortion are therefore important steps, but do not guarantee the availability of safe abortion care. Many health systems respond slowly, and inconsistently, to change. In Mozambique, clinical standards for safe abortion were only defined in In Colombia , significant decriminalisation was achieved 12 years ago. But in the port cities of Buenaventura and Tumaco, MSF found general ignorance about the current scope of safe abortion care.
Healthcare workers who should have been prepared to undertake this type of care were not even aware it was part of their duty.
For the woman or girl with an unwanted pregnancy, it can be hard to overcome sometimes strong provider resistance, which may even extend to denial of care. The barriers can be bureaucratic. In Athens, where MSF supports migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees to access safe abortion care in the public health system, women join a waiting list more than four weeks long just to have their first appointment. More appointments with more health professionals, especially doctors, follow.
In Greece, the legal limit is 12 weeks, so women face a race against the clock to be able to end their pregnancy because of the many hurdles in their way.
Both of these abortion methods are less risky than an injection of penicillin. Medication abortion involves two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, and a total of only five pills. Doctors are not necessary to provide these services; midwives and nurses can provide both abortions in hospitals and health centres alike, as long as they have the skills. Even so, in places where health services are stretched, providers can benefit greatly from additional support—further training, institutional back-up, mentoring and guidance.
The district health service is committed to providing safe abortion care, but staff can be unsure of correct methods and protocol. Some also need moral support in the face of judgement and stigma from colleagues in the workplace. Even knowing the importance of this care, other providers still often have to confront their own attitudes in providing this care, so peer support is important. Safe abortion care is a package of essential health services: management of post-abortion complications, safe termination of pregnancy, and provision of contraceptives.
These services need to be timely, reliable, confidential, skilled and compassionate. They must be provided by people who have been properly trained. Contraception and safe abortion care go hand in hand in the strategy to reduce unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal deaths.
Increasing access to modern contraception is an essential component to reducing unintended or unwanted pregnancies and the abortions or unplanned births that often follow. However, contraception alone is not sufficient as a solution.
MSF is working with our staff, with local communities and departments and ministries of health and other non-governmental healthcare providers to improve access to contraceptives, to post abortion care and to safe termination of pregnancy for women and girls lacking access to healthcare or caught in a humanitarian crisis.
Unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion have a serious medical impact on women and girls in the many low-resource and conflict-affected countries in which we work.
The consequences are also felt by their families and friends, caregivers—including our staff—and their wider community. And, as a medical and humanitarian organisation, MSF remains committed to providing safe abortion care to reduce this avoidable—and often overlooked—suffering. Instead of judgement, what a woman needs is health care that will respect the reason why she has come forward; ensure that she can talk with a trained professional; and provide her with high quality abortion care.
Unsafe abortion: a forgotten emergency Womens health. Women's health Unsafe abortion: a forgotten emergency. The less advantaged—in many cases teenagers—are forced to resort to clandestine interventions in precarious sanitary conditions. The high mortality rates for abortion are a lamentable reflection of discrimination against women from poor backgrounds. Women who request a non-criminalized abortion are often victims of reproachful judgments and institutional ill-treatment: they are denied the request and left to their own devices, urged not to abort and subjected to illegal intervention by justice officials and lawyers aiming to prevent the practice.
These situations are forms of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as established by the Human Rights Committee in L. In countries with restrictive laws that limit access to abortion, the market moves multi- million dollar figures for clandestine abortions, both through surgical abortions and the sale of misoprostol and mifepristone pills. Criminalization is not founded on protecting the life of the fetus—because there are other effective ways to achieve that—but is instead a form of stigmatization written into criminal codes.
Maintaining the criminalization of abortion goes against the construction of equal societies. A first step towards gender equality is to ensure that women are in control of their reproductive capacity, including having access to contraception and safe abortion, because the sovereignty of women over their own bodies is key to achieving gender equality.
Criminalization does not dissuade women from having abortions 2. Criminalization of abortion violates the fundamental human rights of women and girls 3.
Criminalization causes women to resort to unsafe abortion methods 4. Criminalization increases mortality and health complications caused by unsafe abortions 5. Criminalization negatively impacts access to legal abortions 6.
Lack of access to a safe abortion in complicated pregnancies leads to death by indirect causes 7. Criminalization of abortion disproportionately impacts poor and young women 8. Criminalization exposes women to potential torture and institutional violence 9.
Criminalization of abortion goes against the principle of egalitarian society. Ten reasons to legalize early abortion. These materials were developed to serve as tools for activists and organizations. Here you can download them to print, circulate and adapt.
Safe abortion care is a package of essential health services : management of post-abortion complications, safe termination of pregnancy, and provision of contraceptives. These services need to be timely, reliable, confidential, skilled, and compassionate. They must be provided by people who have been properly trained. Contraception and safe abortion care go hand in hand in the strategy to reduce unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal deaths.
Increasing access to modern contraception is an essential component to reducing unintended or unwanted pregnancies, and the abortions or unplanned births that often follow. However, contraception alone is not sufficient as a solution. MSF is working with its staff, with local communities, health departments and ministries, and other non-governmental health care providers to improve access to contraceptives, to post-abortion care and to the safe termination of pregnancy for women and girls lacking access to health care or caught in a humanitarian crisis.
The woman has the freedom to decide whether she wants to be a mother at the moment. Unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion have serious medical impacts on women and girls in the many of the low-resource settings and conflict-affected countries where MSF works. As a medical and humanitarian organization, MSF remains committed to providing safe abortion care to reduce this avoidable—and often overlooked—cause of suffering. A woman deserves health care that responds to her medical needs , including access to safe abortion care.
The backstreet clinics weren't one of my options because people end up losing their lives. I went to Puken health center for help. Everyone was friendly. They told us the whole procedure, every step. How we use funds. Search results. Sort by Sort by Relevance Sort by Recency. Contact Get updates Search. Click to close sign up dialog. Unsafe abortion: A forgotten emergency. View Photo MSF. Unsafe abortion particularly affects women and girls in developing countries, including those where MSF works.
Every day, MSF staff treat patients who've received dangerous unsafe abortions in order to end an unwanted pregnancies. Share This Share in Facebook Share in Twitter Share in LinkedIn Unsafe abortion remains one of the five leading causes of maternal mortality, despite the fact that it is mostly preventable.
Help us respond to medical emergencies around the world. Maternal health. MSF Dr. Manisha Kumar on coming to understand abortion as a medical necessity. A medical emergency In , MSF staff treated over 22, patients with post-abortion complications. Moral judgment and shame A woman may hope to be pregnant one day in the future, but not necessarily right now. Alert magazine: Strong women. My head was exploding, I thought, 'My God, what am I going to do?
Legal limitations to abortion The fact that abortion is still criminalized in most countries remains a concern. Prompted by the evidence, some countries have reformed their laws. Barriers in the health care system Liberalization and decriminalization of abortion are important steps, but they do not guarantee the availability of safe abortion care.
Simplifying access for patients Termination of pregnancy is a safe and effective medical act, usually managed with tablets medication abortion or a minor intervention under local anesthesia manual vacuum aspiration, or MVA.
Making abortion safe Safe abortion care is a package of essential health services : management of post-abortion complications, safe termination of pregnancy, and provision of contraceptives.
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