INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF OBSTETRICIANS & GYNECOLOGISTS – Country Needs Assessments on Safe Abortion Advocacy
The following reports were commissioned by FIGO, with the work led by national obstetrics & gynaecology societies and with others, and published in 2018:
- Benin – French and English
- Cameroon
- Ivory Coast – French and English
- Kenya
- Mali – French and English
- Mozambique – Portuguese and English
- Panama – Spanish and English
- Peru – Spanish and English
- Uganda
- Zambia
Main findings:
- The countries assessed have diverse legal frameworks, ranging from restrictive to fully liberalised.
- There is a lack of accurate national data on abortion prevalence and its contribution to maternal mortality.
- Pro-safe abortion actors were strong but not always outspoken or unified; in some countries opposing actors were very powerful.
- The preferred terminology to address safe abortion differs in each country, from comprehensive abortion care to preventing unsafe abortion.
- Within national societies of obstetrics & gynaecology, there is a range of opinions on abortion.
- Societies have credibility as technical experts and also on safe abortion. All societies have individuals who are extensively engaged as advisors on safe abortion, e.g. in the development of national guidelines.
SOURCE: FIGO