303825
Introduction and scale-up of legal abortion in Ethiopia: Strong results in under 10 years
Since liberalization of Ethiopia’s abortion law in 2005, thousands of health-care providers have been trained and hundreds of thousands of women have received high-quality legal abortion services. Efforts to introduce and scale-up safe legal abortion have been led by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, with contributions from several international NGOs, including Ipas.
The presentation will review critical elements of the introduction and expansion of safe, legal abortion, including: careful, comprehensive planning; supportive policy framework; building health-system capacity; technology supply and logistics; community outreach and education; focus on youth; and reliance on research and evidence. Strategies that have proved especially important include decentralization; task-shifting; integration of contraceptive services with abortion care; offering women the option of medication abortion; and selective introduction of second-trimester abortion.
Although challenges remain, Ethiopia’s experience adds to the growing body of global evidence on positive health impacts of legal abortion. National health-system statistics and other research reveal a steady decline in the proportion and number of women seeking emergency treatment for botched abortions, for example, and an increase in the proportion of women obtaining postabortion contraception. There is also evidence of a decline in mortality and morbidity from unsafe abortion. A major research effort to document these trends is underway, with preliminary data expected to be available in mid-2014.
Learning Areas:
Provision of health care to the publicPublic health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
Explain the contribution of Ethiopia’s previously restrictive abortion law to high rates of unsafe abortion and maternal mortality and morbidity
Identify principal strategies employed by the government of Ethiopia and its development partners to introduce and scale-up safe abortion services after reform of the country’s abortion law
Describe strategies pursued to reduce institutional and perceived stigma related to abortion
Describe the transition of an abortion care program from primarily treating unsafe abortion complications to providing legal induced abortion care
Keyword(s): Abortion, Reproductive Health
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have supported Ipas's work to reduce unsafe abortion and its impact in Ethiopia for more than a decade and lead efforts to document this work for global audiences. Previous efforts have included researching and writing on the process of abortion law reform in the country and synthesizing the process and results of introducing safe legal abortion in Ethiopia for various audiences and venues. My co-author has directed Ipas's work in Ethiopia since its inception.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.