EngenderHealth Welcomes New WHO Abortion Guidelines

An image of Traci L. Baird is on the left. To the right, a quote reads "I applaud the WHO for taking a holistic approach to abortion care in this new guideline." Below the quote, the attribution reads "Traci L. Baird, President & CEO EngenderHealth." The EngenderHealth logo is in the lower right corner. The graphic is framed in a light pink rectangle.

EngenderHealth welcomes the World Health Organization’s (WHO) release of its updated Abortion Care Guideline, which highlights the importance of providing high-quality, person-centered abortion care and creating an enabling environment as a foundation for services.

“I applaud the WHO for taking a holistic approach to abortion care in this new guideline,” said Traci L. Baird, president and CEO of EngenderHealth. “Safe, high-quality abortion care is a fundamental component of healthcare, and EngenderHealth supports efforts to expand access to and improve the quality of care for all those who choose abortion.”

The new guideline combines all previous guidelines into a complete set of WHO recommendations and best practice statements relating to comprehensive abortion care. In the guideline, the WHO focuses on quality abortion care, defining it as safe, timely, affordable, nondiscriminatory, and respectful care. The guideline also advocates removing medically unnecessary policy barriers to care in order to reduce the risk of unsafe abortions. We are particularly enthusiastic that the new guideline promotes access to different care options, including facility-based and at-home care.

A quote reads "Safe, high-quality abortion care is a fundamental component of healthcare, and EngenderHealth supports efforts to expand access to and improve the quality of care for all those who choose abortion.” Below it, the attribution reads "Traci L. Baird, President & CEO, EngenderHealth. The background is dark green with a darker green corner of the EngenderHealth flower on the left side. The EngenderHealth logo is in the lower-right corner.

According to the guideline, quality abortion care must also be supported by an enabling environment, including respect for human rights in laws and policies, available and accessible information, and robust health systems. This enabling environment aligns with EngenderHealth’s program approach, which centers individuals in their decision-making and works to build support among multiple spheres of influence, including communities; institutions; and policies, laws, and systems.

We look forward to supporting the rollout of the new guideline and integrating recommendations and best practices into our comprehensive abortion care programming.

Learn more about our work supporting comprehensive abortion care: