WHO’s guideline on abortion

THE EDITOR: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a new publication, Safe Abortion: Technical and Policy Guidelines for Health Systems, 2003.

The WHO is a large, conservative, public international organisation. Yet it has been unequivocal in establishing the enormous public health issue of abortion. It has stated what we like to deny, namely, that most women will have at least one abortion. “Of the 210 million pregnancies that occur each year, about 46 million (22 percent) end in induced abortion. Globally, the vast majority of women are likely to have at least one abortion by the time they are 45.” (p 12) This is not some radical little NGO. This is an international organisation accountable to all of the world’s organisations. It will be interesting to see how long it takes the Ministry of Health to acknowledge this publication, and working within our existing law, to take action along the lines recommended in the guidelines.

K T THOMAS
Tunapuna