The World Health Organization should lift restrictions on abortion

“We recommend that women and girls have access to abortion and family planning services when they need them,” said Craig Lisner, a World Health Organization (WHO) official. The WHO on Wednesday called on women to facilitate as much as possible voluntary abortion (IVG).

To read: The story of the endless struggle for the right to abortion

Having revised abortion practices and all the health recommendations around them, the UN speaks: Consultation, follow-up … If these recommendations are broad, for example, include the incentive to develop far-sighted counseling, they are, above all, an opportunity for WHO to demand less control over abortion.

Concerns in the United States

Many countries strictly restrict the right to abortion, assigning it to situations where maternal health is at risk. Some, like El Salvador, ban it altogether.

The fears of abortion access advocates have recently focused on the United States, where many states have adopted restrictions. The Supreme Court is prepared to reconsider the notion that abortion is an inalienable right..

The WHO recommends “removal of unnecessary medical restrictions”, “criminalization, forced waiting times, imposition of agreement on other persons – spouses or family – or institutions and prohibition of abortion beyond a certain stage of pregnancy”.

Further: “Access to abortion crystallizes over time fractures”

Restrictions leading to the development of illegal abortions

These types of restrictions do not lead to a decline in the number of abortions, the WHO underscores, citing a study published in 2020. The Lancet Global Health. On the contrary, the WHO warns that “restrictions will push women, especially young women, into dangerous interventions.”

The WHO says that by seeking illegal abortions, women take risks to their health, while abortions performed according to the rules are much safer. The regulations therefore drive the risk of “stigma and medical complications,” the company insists.