Abortion in the context of COVID-19: a human rights imperative

Todd-Gher, Jaime; Shah, Pranay

doi:10.1080/26410397.2020.1758394

Cited by 43 publications

(55 citation statements)

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“…9 These concerns are heightened in the context of abortion, where politics often trumps evidence. With each passing week of political inaction, thousands of women are denied treatment that cannot be postponed, 10 and face the prospect of carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term or of undergoing unsafe procedures. Access to abortion care during COVID-19 in Europe is likely to be predicated on existing regulations and government or provider-led responses to women's specific needs during the pandemic.…”

Section: Key Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 In all, governments have taken almost polar opposite approaches to tackling the issue, from suspension of abortion services, considered non-essential, to the lifting of regulations allowing telemedicine and self-managed care solutions. 10 The absence of a unified response exposes the variability of existing country-level regulatory requirements, potentially reinforcing inequities in access to abortion in Europe. Thus, a careful exploration of abortion policies during the outbreak is warranted to understand barriers to abortion access in the COVID-19 era, and to identify effective strategies to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care in times of public health crises.…”

Section: Key Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Abortion regulation in Europe in the era of COVID-19: a spectrum of policy responses

Moreau

Shankar

Glasier

et al. 2020

BMJ Sex Reprod Health

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BackgroundUnprecedented public health actions restricting movement and non-COVID related health services are likely to have affected abortion care during the pandemic in Europe. In the absence of a common approach to ensure access to this essential health service, we sought to describe the variability of abortion policies during the outbreak in Europe in order to identify strategies that improve availability and access to abortion in times of public health crises.MethodsWe collected information from 46 countries/regions: 31 for which country-experts completed a survey and 15 for which we conducted a desk review. We describe abortion regulations and changes to regulations and practice during the pandemic.ResultsDuring COVID-19, abortions were banned in six countries and suspended in one. Surgical abortion was less available due to COVID-19 in 12 countries/regions and services were not available or delayed for women with COVID-19 symptoms in eleven. No country expanded its gestational limit for abortion. Changes during COVID-19, mostly designed to reduce in-person consultations, occurred in 13 countries/regions. Altogether eight countries/regions provided home medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol beyond 9 weeks (from 9 weeks+6 days to 11 weeks+6 days) and 13 countries/regions up to 9 weeks (in some instances only misoprostol could be taken at home). Only six countries/regions offered abortion by telemedicine.ConclusionsThe lack of a unified policy response to COVID-19 restrictions has widened inequities in abortion access in Europe, but some innovations including telemedicine deployed during the outbreak could serve as a catalyst to ensure continuity and equity of abortion care.

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Section: Key Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Key Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abortion regulation in Europe in the era of COVID-19: a spectrum of policy responses

Moreau

Shankar

Glasier

et al. 2020

BMJ Sex Reprod Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This puts many women at risk, forcing them to endure the substantial harms associated with unwanted pregnancy 2,3 and/or face a risk-…”

Section: Regulation and Policy Changes During Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Failure to ensure service provision has a ‘disparate impact on those with low or no incomes and or who lack housing, migrants, refugees, people with disabilities and adolescents and compelling pregnancy worsens health outcomes, particularly in the case of COVID‐19’ 3 . We have also argued elsewhere that the impact of barriers resulting from COVID‐19‐controlling measures are more likely to be experienced by people who are already structurally disadvantaged, have a disability which means that they feel less safe leaving the home, or have caring responsibilities 5 .…”

Section: Abortion Care During Covid‐19mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Legal and policy responses to the delivery of abortion care during COVID‐19

Romanis

Parsons

2020

Intl J Gynecology & Obste

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Access to abortion care has long been a global challenge, even in jurisdictions where abortion is legal. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated barriers to access, thereby preventing many women from terminating unwanted pregnancies for an extended period. In this paper, we outline existing and COVID-specific barriers to abortion care and consider potential solutions, including the use of telemedicine, to overcome barriers to access during the pandemic and beyond. We explore the responses of governments throughout the world to the challenge of abortion access during the pandemic, which are an eclectic mix of progressive, neutral, and regressive policies. Finally, we call on all governments to recognize abortion as essential healthcare and act to ensure that the law does not continue to interfere with providers' ability to adapt to circumstances and to guarantee safe and appropriate care not only during the pandemic, but permanently.

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So Close, So Far: Sexual and Reproductive Rights in the COVID-19 Era

Guijarro

Caballero

2022

The Global and Social Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Abortion in the context of COVID-19: a human rights imperative

Cited by 43 publications

References 1 publication

Abortion regulation in Europe in the era of COVID-19: a spectrum of policy responses

Abortion regulation in Europe in the era of COVID-19: a spectrum of policy responses

Legal and policy responses to the delivery of abortion care during COVID‐19

So Close, So Far: Sexual and Reproductive Rights in the COVID-19 Era

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