1. Home
  2. Vol 8, No 1 (2004)
  3. Sai

International Commitments and Guidance on Unsafe Abortion

Fred Sai(1),


(1) 
Corresponding Author

Abstract


 

Most of Africa's 54 countries have restrictive abortion laws, outdated remnants of former colonial laws that result in nearly five million unsafe abortions annually. To stem maternal mortality and morbidity, it is essential to look beyond strictly medical or health system approaches to solving this critical public health problem. The issue must be approached from a human rights perspective that emphasises the individual's right to self-determination. This article examines ways in which advocates can use established human rights standards, international consensus documents, and the World Health Organization's new technical and policy guidance for health systemsto press for safer abortion care for African women. (Afr J Reprod Health 2004; 8[1]:15-28)

 

Keywords: Abortion, law, policy, international agreements, maternal mortality and morbidity


References


Center for Reproductive Law and Policy. Reproductive Rights 2000: Moving Forward. New York: CRLP, 2000.

World Health Organization. Unsafe abortion: global and regional estimates of incidence of and mortality due to unsafe abortion with a listing of available country data. Geneva: WHO, 1998.

Population Action International. The PAI Report Card 2001: A World of Difference: Sexual & Reproductive Health and Risks. Washington DC: PAI, 2001.

WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA. Maternal Mortality in 1995: Estimates Developed by WHO and UNICEF. Geneva: WHO, 2001. Available online at http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/ publications/RHR_01_9_maternal_ mortality_estimates/index. en.html

Serbanescu Florina, Leo Morris and Mona Marin (Eds.). Reproductive Health Survey Romania, 1999. Romanian Association of Public Health and Health Management (ARSPMS), Bucharest, Romania, and Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DRH/CDC), Atlanta, GA, 2001.

World Health Organization. Safe Abortion: Technical and Policy Guidance for Health Systems. Geneva: WHO, 2003.

Alan Guttmacher Institute. Sharing Responsibility: Women, Society & Abortion Worldwide. New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1999.

Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.

Ministry of Health, Institute for Mother and Child, UNICEF and WHO. Preventing Maternal Death in Romania: An Analysis of Maternity Care and Maternal Mortality with Recommendations for a Safe Motherhood Programme. Bucharest: Ministry of Health, 1993.


Full Text: DOC

Article Metrics

Abstract View : 434 times
DOC Download : 235 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.