Since first publication of this guidance in 2003, a considerable amount of new data have been produced and published, relating to epidemiological, clinical, service delivery, legal and human rights aspects of providing safe abortion care. This new edition provides policy-makers, programme managers and health-service providers with the latest evidence-based guidance on clinical care. It includes information on how to establish and strengthen services, and outlines a human-rights-based approach to laws and policies on safe, comprehensive abortion care.

Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Definitions used in this document
• Executive summary
• Process of guideline development
• 1. Safe abortion care: the public health and human rights rationale
  • Summary
  • 1.1 Background
  • 1.2 Public health and human rights
  • 1.3 Pregnancies and abortions
  • 1.4 Health consequences of unsafe abortion
  • 1.5 Contraceptive use, accidental pregnancies and unmet need for family planning
  • 1.6 Regulatory and policy context
  • 1.7 Economic costs of unsafe abortion
  • References
• 2. Clinical care for women undergoing abortion
  • Summary
  • 2.1 Pre-abortion care
  • 2.2 Methods of abortion
  • 2.3 Post-abortion care and follow-up
  • References
• 3. Planning and managing safe abortion care
  • Summary
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Constellation of services
  • 3.3 Evidence-based standards and guidelines
  • 3.4 Equipping facilities and training health-care providers
  • 3.5 Monitoring, evaluation and quality improvement
  • 3.6 Financing
  • 3.7 The process of planning and managing safe abortion care
  • References
• 4. Legal and policy considerations
  • Summary
  • 4.1 Women's health and human rights
  • 4.2 Laws and their implementation within the context of human rights
  • 4.3 Creating an enabling environment
  • References
• ANNEX 1 Research gaps identified at the technical consultation
• ANNEX 2 Final GRADE questions and outcomes
• ANNEX 3 Standard GRADE criteria for grading of evidence
• ANNEX 4 Participants in the technical consultation
• ANNEX 5 Recommendations from the technical consultation for the second edition of Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems
• ANNEX 6 Post-abortion medical eligibility for contraceptive use
• ANNEX 7 Core international and regional human rights treaties
• Evidence summaries and GRADE tables
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Funding Source: The development of these guidelines was supported by the UNDP/UNFPA/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP).

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