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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Carol Levin, PhD¹, Lorelei Goodyear, MPH¹, Daniel Grossman, MD², Karla Berdichevsky, MD³, Thi Thanh Huong Luu, MD¹, Van Minh Hoang, MPH, MD⁴, and Michelle Gardner, MSc¹. (1) PATH, 1455 NW Leary Way, Seattle, WA 98107, 206-285-3500, lgoodyear@path.org, (2) Reproductive Health Program, Ibis Reproductive Health, 3333 California Street, Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94143-0744, (3) Population Council, Escondida 110, Col. Villa Coyoacán , Mexico DF, 04100, Mexico, (4) Health Economic Department, Ha Noi Medical University, No1 Ton That Tung, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam

Of the five main causes of maternal mortality, the complications due to unsafe abortion are the most easily averted by changing laws and service delivery policies that restrict access to safe abortion. One approach to increasing the political will to make these changes is by providing evidence of the economic cost of managing unsafe abortion compared to provision of safe and effectively structured abortion services. Our evidence is based on results from two recent studies conducted with partners in Mexico and Vietnam. The first study estimates the health care system costs associated with 1) the provision of abortion services and 2) treatment of complications due to restricted access to safe abortion in Mexico City. In Vietnam, we examined the cost implications of expanding medical abortion access to the district level where surgical abortion using manual vacuum aspiration is already provided. We will describe how economic results can be used to advocate for changes in policy and service provision. We conclude that expanding access to safe and legal abortion, including medical abortion, not only preserves women's health, a fundamental human right, but also saves financial resources.

Learning Objectives:

• to understand how structural barriers impede women’s right to safe effective medical treatment
• to examine how cost data can be used to advocate for policy changes in developing countries where abortion is legal and illegal.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation