'Health Workers Must Not Be Judged, Stigmatised But Supported'

Too many girls and women continue to die and face both the short and long-term repercussions of unsafe abortions, yet potentially life-saving information on receiving quality care for abortion-related complications, remains in short supply.

To address this gap, the UN system for Human Reproduction Research (HRP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, published new data on the issue, in the latest edition of the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The newly published papers also explore the experiences of adolescents and women in accessing support in insecure environments, reports UN News.

In a bid to protect the health of women and girls and help prevent over 25 million unsafe abortions that currently occur each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines on abortion care.

According to Dr Bela Ganatra who leads the World Health Organzation's work on preventing unsafe abortion, to address stigma by health workers against women who seek sexual and reproductive health services, health workers themselves need to be supported to provide safe and quality care. They need accurate information about laws and policies, they too mustn't be judged, stigmatized or punished for providing what is basic health care.