Perils and possibilities of health exception laws: A narrative review.

Autor: Shaw D; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.; Health Exception Committee, Global Doctors for Choice, New York, New York, USA., Awoonor-Williams K; Health Exception Committee, Global Doctors for Choice, New York, New York, USA.; Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, Accra, Ghana., Brauer A; Health Exception Committee, Global Doctors for Choice, New York, New York, USA., Gil L; Health Exception Committee, Global Doctors for Choice, New York, New York, USA.; Grupo Médico por el Derecho a Decidir/Global Doctors for Choice, Bogota, Colombia., Morales JP; Health Exception Committee, Global Doctors for Choice, New York, New York, USA., Chavkin W; Health Exception Committee, Global Doctors for Choice, New York, New York, USA.; Public Health and Obstetrics-Gynecology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics [Int J Gynaecol Obstet] 2024 Feb; Vol. 164 Suppl 1, pp. 67-80.
DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.15337
Abstrakt: Forty-seven of the 203 countries with abortion laws detailed by the Center for Reproductive Rights have a health exception (HE) clause, inconsistent in both wording and implementation, even within countries. This narrative review sought to determine the understanding and implementation of the legally permissible HE in different countries, or states, to provide clarification and guidance for strategies that will maximize permitted access to safe abortion within the law and avoid undue delays that harm the lives and health of women and their families. A multimethod approach was used. The literature search for countries with HE laws, including physical, mental, and social health, and exceptions for threat to life, rape, incest, and fetal anomaly, returned sparse results. The review of emblematic cases that had reached regional courts on the grounds of human rights violation for failure to obtain legal abortion under the country's HE clause included some examples qualifying on multiple grounds. We interviewed 15 physician advocates from 14 countries about use of the HE in their countries. Informants from Latin America interpreted the HE to refer to physical, psychological, and social health. HE laws are common but confusing, with significant opportunities to improve access through clarification and implementation. Where multiple grounds permit ending a pregnancy, the least onerous exception for the patient is the most ethical. Examples of progress in Colombia and Ghana demonstrate successful approaches to broader HE implementation.
(© 2024 The Authors. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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