For women considering abortion, good information is crucial to good health

Worldwide, an estimated 5 million women are hospitalized each year for treatment of abortion-related complications—mostly in settings where access to safe abortion is highly limited. About 68,000 women die annually from unsafe procedures carried out in unhygienic conditions or by people who lack proper training and skills.

PATH and our partners are working to improve these heartbreaking numbers by providing evidence and data to decision-makers and by ensuring health managers and personnel have the data they need to improve access to safe abortion.

We also want women to have the information they need. Many women are uncertain about abortion services and their rights to care. Even in countries where abortion is broadly legal, women sometimes seek clandestine, unsafe abortions. To bring concerns about sexual health into the light, we use communication techniques including community radio programs and discussion groups led by trained facilitators.

Together with our partners, we are working to make sure that women can make choices about their reproductive health.

Photo: PATH.