Work with the community to prevent unsafe abortions
Work with the community to prevent
unsafe abortions
Much of the information in this chapter is about how to save a woman’s life after
an unsafe or incomplete abortion. You can do more to protect women’s health by
working to understand and prevent the causes of unsafe abortion in your
community.
Think about how things can change so that women will not need to have
unsafe abortions. Then work to prevent these unsafe practices in your community.
Some midwives have helped teach women about family planning. Others have
worked to change community ideas about abortion. Others have worked to
change laws.
Help women and others in the community discuss the shame and fear women
feel if they are sick after an unsafe abortion. Work to find community solutions to
help more women get the care they need.
Why do women
have unsafe
abortions here?
The hospital is
too far away!
I didn’t know if I
wanted to use
family planning, but
I wasn’t ready to
have another baby.
There is a woman in our
village who does abortions,
but she does not know how
to do them safely.
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A Book for Midwives (2010)