The Web Library on abortion was assembled by the ESC Expert Group on Abortion in 2018. It is intended for general interest for use by those working in sexual and reproductive health and not as information for abortion care specialists. Abortion providers should follow the links to the dedicated sites. All materials are intended for healthcare professionals and those in a support role for health services, although they are open access and it is understood that the public may view them. Patient information has been included, mainly so that healthcare professionals can see examples of good, clear material but also so that they may pick up tips about what sort of language to use in consultations.
An emphasis has been put on materials that can be accessed over the internet. A few important publications that are only available in hard copy are however included. A wide selection of formats is listed to suit all learning styles and to illustrate the range of multimedia material that is available.
An attempt has been made to keep the materials reasonably up to date, with regular reviews of the content. It is accepted that the material is biased toward English-speaking countries.
The current Coordinator of the WebLibrary on abortion is Sam Rowlands. The ESC is happy to receive suggestions or comments about the WebLibrary: please send them to the ESC Office (info@escrh.eu).
Rowlands S., Wale J.
How might the abortion experience look in a world without the existing regulatory constraints? This paper critically assesses the evidence about how a high-quality abortion experience might be achieved in the first trimester.
Open Website
Exelgyn
Abortion, fertility and contraception statistics, for all the country members of the European Union plus Iceland, Norway, Serbia, and Switzerland, and comparative data.
Open Website
United Nations
Information series on sexual and reproductive health and rights: Abortion
Open Website
FSRH
A free resource for professionals in secondary schools to use in relationships and sex education (RSE) lessons. It aims to ensure that professionals involved in educating young people have a factually accurate, unbiased and evidence-based source of information about abortion in the UK.
Open Website
NICE
This guideline covers care for women of any age (including girls and young women under 18) who request an abortion. It aims to improve the organisation of services and make them easier for women to access. Detailed recommendations on conducting abortions at different gestational stages are also included, to ensure that women get the safest and most effective care possible.
Open Website
Rowlands S (ed)
Textbook on abortion
Open Website
ANCIC (FR)
Elle rassemble des professionnels travaillant dans les Centres de planification et d’éducation familiale (CPEF), les Centres d’interruption volontaire de grossesse (CIVG) et les Etablissements d’information de conseil conjugal et familial (EICCF) : médecins, conseillères conjugales et familiales, infirmières, sages-femmes, psychologues et toute personne participant à la défense des droits des femmes, à la réflexion et aux recherches théoriques et pratiques concernant la sexualité, la maîtrise de la procréation et l’éducation sexuelle.
Open Website
Abortion Support Network
Abortion Support Network helps people who need to access safe abortions. We provide information on clinics, travel and accommodation, and provide financial assistance to help with costs for those who need it. We do this for women and pregnant people resident in Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Malta, Gibraltar, Poland, Romania, Hungary, France, Spain, the Czech Republic and the other EU countries on a case-by-case basis.
Open Website