WHO has released new guidelines on abortion care in a bid to protect the health of women and girls and help prevent over 25 million unsafe abortions that currently occur each year around the world.
Based on the latest scientific evidence, these consolidated guidelines bring together over 50 recommendations spanning clinical practice, health service delivery, and legal and policy interventions to support quality abortion care.
When carried out according to WHO guidelines, abortion is a simple and safe health intervention. The new guidelines will support access to comprehensive and quality abortion care within national health systems in the WHO European Region and globally.
New recommendations to improve access to high quality, person-centred services
When carried out using a method recommended by WHO, abortion is a safe procedure.
Tragically, however, only half of all abortions take place under such conditions, with unsafe abortions causing around 39 000 deaths globally. Most of these deaths are in lower-income countries – with over 60% in Africa and 30% in Asia – and among those living in the most vulnerable situations.
The new guidelines include recommendations on many simple interventions at the level of primary care that:
- improve the quality of abortion care provided to women and girls;
- include task-sharing by a wider range of health workers;
- ensure access to medical abortion pills, which mean more women can obtain safe abortion services; and
- ensure that accurate information on care is available to all those who need it.
For the first time, the guidelines also include recommendations for the use of telemedicine where appropriate, which has helped support access to abortion and family planning services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Removing unnecessary policy barriers facilitates access to safe abortion
Alongside the clinical and service delivery recommendations, the guidelines recommend removing medically unnecessary policy barriers to safe abortion, such as criminalization, mandatory waiting times, the requirement that approval must be given by other people (such as partners or family members) or institutions, and limits on when during pregnancy an abortion can take place.
Such barriers can lead to critical delays in accessing treatment and put women and girls at greater risk of unsafe abortion, stigmatization and health complications, while increasing disruptions to their education and ability to work.
Evidence shows that restricting access to abortions does not reduce the number of abortions that take place. In fact, restrictions are more likely to drive women and girls toward unsafe procedures. In countries where abortion is most restricted, only 1 in 4 abortions is safe, compared to nearly 9 in 10 in countries where the procedure is broadly legal.
Instead, studies in several European countries have shown that long-term national sexuality education programmes have led to a reduction in teenage pregnancies and abortions.
Following this launch, WHO/Europe will support interested countries to implement the new guidelines and strengthen national policies and programmes related to contraception, family planning and abortion services, helping them provide the highest standard of care for women and girls.
Updated guidelines
The WHO abortion care guidelines update the former edition, released in 2012, and consolidate existing and new recommendations.
An interactive online database containing comprehensive information on the abortion laws, policies, health standards and guidelines for all countries is available via the link below.
