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[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

From PAC to CAC: Woman-centered, comprehensive abortion care that delivers on human rights

Katherine L. Turner, MPH and Alyson G. Hyman, MPH. Training and Service Delivery Improvement, Ipas, 300 Market Street, Suite 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, (919) 960-5624, turnerk@ipas.org

Abortion is legally permitted to save the life of the woman in 98% of countries and to preserve physical and mental health in 62% of countries. However, abortion services that would meet these indications often remain unavailable, inaccessible or poor quality.

In the past decade, many ministries of health and nongovernmental agencies have rolled out postabortion care (PAC) programs to ensure that health care facilities are equipped to treat complications of unsafe abortion, provide counseling and contraceptive services and work with communities to make related sexual and reproductive health linkages. While these crucial programs are responsible for saving many women, they often do not address the very problem of unsafe abortion itself. Were it not for political barriers including Global Gag Rule restrictions, legal, safe abortion could also be included in these service delivery improvement strategies to prevent women from having to seek unsafe abortions.

Ipas and ministries, partner agencies, donors and reproductive health champions have advanced women's right to comprehensive, high-quality, safe and accessible abortion care that includes PAC as well as safe abortion to the full extent of the law. Ministries are developing abortion care norms and guidelines to set a national standard for service delivery. Trainers, providers and advocates are being equipped to advocate for and provide services using the Ipas Woman-Centered Abortion Care curriculum.

In this interactive presentation, participants will hear evaluation results from these woman-centered abortion care training events, follow-up activities being conducted by participants and recommendations for an integrated approach to comprehensive abortion care.

Learning Objectives:

  • Learning Objectives