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The impact of COVID-19 on abortion access: Insights from the European Union and the United Kingdom

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  • Bojovic, Neva
  • Stanisljevic, Jovana
  • Giunti, Guido

Abstract

Government policies on abortion are a longstanding topic of heated political debates. The COVID-19 pandemic shook health systems to the core adding further to the complexity of this topic, as imposed national lockdowns and movement restrictions affected access to timely abortion for millions of women across the globe. In this paper, we examine how countries within the European Union and the United Kingdom responded to challenges brought by the COVID-19 crisis in terms of access to abortion. By combining information from various sources, we have explored different responses according to two dimensions: changes in policy and protocols, and reported difficulties in access. Our analysis shows significant differences across the observed regions and salient debates around abortion. While some countries made efforts to maintain and facilitate abortion care during the pandemic through the introduction or expansion of use of telemedicine and early medical abortion, others attempted to restrict it further. The situation was also diverse in the countries where governments did not change policies or protocols. Based on our data analysis, we provide a framework that can help policy makers improve abortion access.

Suggested Citation

  • Bojovic, Neva & Stanisljevic, Jovana & Giunti, Guido, 2021. "The impact of COVID-19 on abortion access: Insights from the European Union and the United Kingdom," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(7), pages 841-858.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:125:y:2021:i:7:p:841-858
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.05.005
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Parsons, Jordan A., 2020. "2017–19 governmental decisions to allow home use of misoprostol for early medical abortion in the UK," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(7), pages 679-683.
    2. Bergstrom, Ted & Bergstrom, Carl & Li, Haoran, 2020. "Frequency and Accuracy in Proactive Testing for COVID-19," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series qt8nf4c0jd, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara.
    3. Levels, Mark & Sluiter, Roderick & Need, Ariana, 2014. "A review of abortion laws in Western-European countries. A cross-national comparison of legal developments between 1960 and 2010," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(1), pages 95-104.
    4. Forman, Rebecca & Atun, Rifat & McKee, Martin & Mossialos, Elias, 2020. "12 Lessons learned from the management of the coronavirus pandemic," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(6), pages 577-580.
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