Women on Web (WoW) is a Canadian non-profit organization that aims to increase access to safe

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

known for its online abortion service accessible in multiple countries. The organization was founded by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch physician, in 2005. The Women on Web helpdesk provides information and support in 16 languages, including Arabic, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, and Turkish. Their medical team provides online medical consultations and the delivery of pills for a

medication abortion A medical abortion, also known as medication abortion, occurs when drugs (medication) are used to bring about an abortion. Medical abortions are an alternative to surgical abortions such as vacuum aspiration or dilation and curettage. Medical ...

. Self-managed medical abortion is done with

mifepristone Mifepristone, also known as RU-486, is a medication typically used in combination with misoprostol to bring about a medical abortion during pregnancy and manage early miscarriage. This combination is 97% effective during the first 63 days of p ...

and

misoprostol Misoprostol is a synthetic prostaglandin medication used to prevent and treat stomach and duodenal ulcers, induce labor, cause an abortion, and treat postpartum bleeding due to poor contraction of the uterus. Misoprostol is taken by mouth wh ...

at home before the 12th week of pregnancy. Mifepristone and misoprostol terminate the pregnancy by inducing an

that resembles a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...

with a 97% efficacy rate during the first 60 days of pregnancy. A 2008 study published in the

British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional body, professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and g ...

found that women are capable of self‐administering mifepristone and misoprostol at home without a doctor physically visiting them, provided proper information and instructions are given. Since February 2022 Women on Web has provided abortion pills in advance of unwanted pregnancies: "With the help of this new service, women can request abortion pills in advance and take them as soon as they discover they are pregnant. Women on Web's medical team will prescribe the abortion pills to people who are not yet pregnant but who anticipate that they may need them in the future".

Research

Several scientific studies on the outcome of abortions and the experiences of women who have used the Women on Web service have proven that abortion via telemedicine is safe, highly effective and acceptable to women. This has been confirmed by the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

which has recognized that abortions done with the help of Women on Web are considered safe. Women on Web has also researched data from women in countries where abortion is not legally restricted to highlight the barriers in access to safe abortion services. Research from countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, Hungary and the USA has shown that women face obstacles to access abortion services when these services are only available in clinics or hospitals.

Censorship

Women on Web’s websites are censored in several countries, but there are ways to access their online consultation for abortions even if the main website is unavailable. Women on Web maintains several local language websites to circumvent online censorship and expand access to their service.

References

WHO Publication List: Unsafe Abortion
on Internet Archive

External links

Official Women on Web website
Feminist websites Abortion-rights organisations in the Netherlands Women's websites {{abortion-stub

Research

Censorship

See also

References

External links