Multicountry research on comprehensive abortion policy implementation in Latin America: a mixed-methods study protocol

Introduction Access to comprehensive abortion care could prevent the death of between 13 865 and 38 940 women and the associated morbidity of 5 million women worldwide. There have been some important improvements in Latin America in terms of laws and policies on abortion. However, the predominant environment is still restrictive, and many women, adolescents and girls still face multiple barriers to exercise their reproductive rights. This research will systematically assess comprehensive abortion policies in five Latin American countries (Argentina, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico and Uruguay). The aim is to identify barriers, facilitators and strategies to the implementation of abortion policies, looking at four key dimensions—regulatory framework, abortion policy dynamics, abortion service delivery and health system and health outcomes indicators—to draw cross-cutting lessons learnt to improve current implementation and inform future safe abortion policy development. Methods and analysis A mixed-method design will be used in the five countries to address the four dimensions through the Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality of Care model. The data collection tools include desk reviews and semi-structured interviews with key actors. Analysis will be performed using thematic analysis and stakeholder analysis. A regional synthesis exercise will be conducted to draw lessons on barriers, facilitators and the strategies. Ethics and dissemination The proje...
Source: BMJ Open - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Open access, Public health Source Type: research