Governments have long agreed that abortion cannot be a part of family planning. The WHO has gone along with that consensus until now. Recent journal articles by WHO researchers demonstrate that the powerful global agency now rejects that consensus. In the wake of the Zika virus epidemic, it has been suggested that women who want to have children should wait before becoming pregnant to reduce their risk of having a baby with microcephaly or other abnormalities caused by Zika virus.
If women are to follow these recommendations, they will need family planning services such as contraception and access to safe abortion. Several rounds of surveys of health facilities in affected areas to determine what contraception, abortion and post-abortion care services they provide and their readiness to deliver these services. The statement that abortion is a “family planning service” contradicts what…
