Identifying and removing barriers to self-managed abortion in Zambia

Overview

Strengthened by the 2022 WHO Abortion care guideline’s evidence-based recommendations on self-managed abortion, FIGO has been involved in advocacy, education and capacity-building to support countries’ operationalization of self-managed abortion as a way to improve access to abortion at national level.

The critical importance of this work is exemplified by Zambia. Women and girls seeking an abortion in Zambia must have an initial consultation with a clinician to determine eligibility, but can, if preferred, self-administer abortion medicines outside of a health facility and self-assess the success of the abortion up to 10 weeks of gestation. However, despite legal provisions for abortion and the recent introduction of self-managed abortion, rates of unsafe abortion with serious consequences on women’s health remain high.