WHO announces new criteria for the safe management of abortion
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
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An update of the WHO recommendations on the safety of providing abortion services by medical institutions has been published. By the way, more than 25 million women in the world consult doctors about abortion procedures every year.
The safe management of abortion is important to reduce the number of deaths and complications from the procedure. Representatives of the World Health Organization announced fifty criteria related to clinical recommendations, including the legal side of the problem. Specialists note that today only 50% of abortions are absolutely safe. According to statistics, almost 40 thousand patients die annually as a result of abortion, and several million more are hospitalized due to complications. The majority of unfavorable situations are observed in underdeveloped regions - African and part of Asian countries.
Representatives of the World Health Organization have developed specific steps that could help to improve this situation. For example, the use of collaborative work between health professionals from different disciplines and the restriction of access to abortion drugs have been recommended. It is also important that the relevant information is properly and fully disseminated by local health services.
The creators of the new version of the recommendations advise to weaken legal obstacles for women who intend to artificially terminate pregnancy: to eliminate criminalization of abortion, to remove the obligation of waiting terms, to eliminate the requirement to have permission from other family members. WHO experts are convinced that the current barriers lead to the fact that women are forced to postpone the moment of the procedure, or independently seek options to solve the problem, which significantly increases further risks.
Today, abortion is banned in twenty states, although most experts insist that such a ban does not reduce the number of abortions. Moreover, women who are unable to resolve the issue officially, in most cases seek alternative and rather dangerous methods to get rid of unwanted pregnancies. According to the same statistics, in some African countries only one out of every four abortions is performed safely. In comparison, in developed regions where the procedure is not banned, nine out of ten abortions are performed safely.
Information for reflection: abortion is an absolute "taboo" in countries such as Nicaragua, Malta, El Salvador, the Philippines, and the Vatican. These states consider abortion as a criminal offense and equate it with murder.
Information published on the United NationsUnited Nations resource.