Reconceptualizing safe abortion and abortion services in the age of abortion pills: a discussion paper

Publication date: Available online 6 August 2019Source: Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & GynaecologyAuthor(s): Marge BererAbstractAt the conference “Developing an Advocacy Agenda for Abortion in the 21st Century and Making Change Happen” on 5-7 September 2018, Lisbon, Portugal, organized by the International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion, it was argued that abortion services not only need to be treated as a bona fide form of health care but also completely reconceptualized, particularly because of the influence of medical abortion pills. It emerged, however, that there is not a consensus on how this reconceptualization should be configured. Indeed, substantial differences arose, or so it appeared, complicated not only by different exigencies in national settings but also reflecting differing perspectives, specifically, those held primarily by health professionals compared to those held by advocates who felt they spoke for women needing abortions. In the course of these discussions, questions emerged on how much women should be able to do on their own, whether and why services were necessary in every case, where services should be located, what they should offer, who should provide them, and who should be in charge of the process.The biggest discussion was over the extent to which women can safely self-manage use of medical abortion pills for abortion in both the first and second trimester, and to what extent health professional control should...
Source: Best Practice and Research Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology - Category: OBGYN Source Type: research