• Bianca M Stifani, Martin Couto, and Alejandra Lopez Gomez.
• Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
• Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2018 Oct 1; 143 Suppl 4: 45-51.

AbstractAdvocacy by feminists and healthcare providers was essential in passing the 2012 bill legalizing abortion in Uruguay, which was primarily framed in terms of a public health imperative. Prior to legalization, a group of influential physicians had established a "harm reduction" approach consisting of pre- and postabortion counseling with a focus on safer abortion methods. The existence of a network of providers from this initiative facilitated the implementation of abortion services after legalization. Particularities of the Uruguayan model include a strong focus on medical abortion, and a multidisciplinary approach to patient counseling. The implementation of services was largely successful, and rates of abortion-related morbidity and mortality have decreased. Remaining concerns include high rates of conscientious objection and insufficient human resources to staff interdisciplinary counseling teams. The focus on medical abortion has led to a lack of method choice. Finally, data collection gaps complicate monitoring and identification of barriers to access.© 2018 World Health Organization; licensed by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

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