Spotlight on… abortion care

Abstract

Abortion is never far from the news: the past 12 months has seen the United States Supreme Court overturn Roe v Wade and the introduction of buffer zones outside of abortion clinics in England and Wales. Regardless of each clinician’s views or workplace, we will all encounter patients who need or who have had abortions. Globally, each year an estimated 25 million unsafe abortions take place, which is why the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)‘s Centre for Women’s Health has prioritised safe abortion through the Leading Safe Choices and Making Abortion Safe programmes. Although the legal framework will differ between countries, clinical guidelines can be found in the RCOG Best Practice Papers, in four different languages. Furthermore, The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG) has published numerous articles relevant to clinicians caring for people who have abortions. In this Spotlight, several have been identified to highlight some of the most relevant issues.