Expanding access to medical abortion in developing countries

Recognizing the important role that medical abortion can play in women's reproductive health, the WHO launched a research initiative to explore barriers to its use and to develop ways to overcome these barriers and expand its availability. Research designs were tailored to the local contexts where the studies were conducted and allowed researchers flexibility in their choices of research methods.

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An estimated 21.6 million unsafe abortions took place worldwide in 2008, almost all in developing countries. Deaths due to unsafe abortion remain close to 13% of all maternal deaths.

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8 March 2012 - Findings from a study by HRP and partners show that women who have their cervixes dilated with misoprostol in preparation for early surgical abortion have a significantly lower overall risk of a complication from the procedure than those receiving placebo. The decrease in complications was primarily that of incomplete abortion, but there was also a reduction in unscheduled clinic visits and hospital admissions after the procedure. When induced abortion is performed by qualified persons using correct techniques and in sanitary conditions complications are rare.

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19 January 2012 - After a period of substantial decline, the global abortion rate has stalled, according to new research from WHO and the Guttmacher Institute. Between 1995 and 2003 the abortion rate per 1000 women of childbearing worldwide dropped from 35 to 29; the new study found that in 2008 the global abortion rate was 28 per 1000, almost unchanged since 2003. The researchers also found that nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe procedures and almost all unsafe abortions occur in the developing world.

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