Women on Web
FormationNovember 10, 2005 (2005-11-10)
FounderRebecca Gomperts
TypeNon-profit organization
HeadquartersToronto, Canada
Region
Worldwide
ServicesAccess to safe abortion services
Websitewww.womenonweb.org

Women on Web (WoW) is a Canadian non-profit organization that aims to increase access to safe abortion[1] known for its online abortion service accessible in multiple countries.[2][3] The organization was founded by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch physician, in 2005.[4]

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.[5]

Self-managed medical abortion is done with mifepristone and misoprostol at home before the 12th week of pregnancy.[6][7] Mifepristone and misoprostol terminate the pregnancy by inducing an abortion that resembles a miscarriage with a 97% efficacy rate during the first 60 days of pregnancy.[8][5] A 2008 study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 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.[7]

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".[9]

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.[10][11][12][13][14] This has been confirmed by the World Health Organization which has recognized that abortions done with the help of Women on Web are considered safe.[15]

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.[10]

Censorship

Women on Web’s websites are censored in several countries,[16] 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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About Women on Web". Daily Telegraph. 2020-05-29. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  2. ↑ Widdicombe, Lizzie (11 November 2021). "What Does an At-Home Abortion Look Like?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Adams, Patrick (17 May 2022). "Why Poland's restrictive abortion laws could be problematic for Ukrainian refugees". NPR. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  4. ↑ Grant, Rebecca. "The Website Providing Abortion Without Borders". Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  5. 1 2 "I need an abortion". Women on Web. 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  6. ↑ "Abortion". Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health. 62 (3): 383–384. 29 May 2017. doi:10.1111/jmwh.12634. PMID 28556579 – via Wiley Online Library.
  7. 1 2 Gomperts, Rj; Jelinska, K; Davies, S; Gemzell-Danielsson, K; Kleiverda, G (2008-08-01). "Using telemedicine for termination of pregnancy with mifepristone and misoprostol in settings where there is no access to safe services". BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 115 (9): 1171–1178. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.01787.x. ISSN 1471-0528. PMID 18637010.
  8. ↑ Chen MJ, Creinin MD (July 2015). "Mifepristone With Buccal Misoprostol for Medical Abortion: A Systematic Review". Obstetrics and Gynecology. 126 (1): 12–21. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000000897. PMID 26241251. S2CID 20800109.
  9. ↑ "Women on Web starts providing abortion pills in advance". Women on Web. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  10. 1 2 Abigail R. A. Aiken; Jennifer E. Starling; Alexandra van der Wal; Sascha van der Vliet; Kathleen Broussard; Dana M. Johnson; Elisa Padron; Rebecca Gomperts; James G. Scott (Jan 2020). "Demand for Self-Managed Medication Abortion Through an Online Telemedicine Service in the United States". American Journal of Public Health. 110 (1): 97. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2019.305369. PMC 6893344. PMID 31622157.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Abigail R.A. Aiken, Kathleen Broussard, Dana M. Johnson, Elisa Padron (11 July 2018). "Motivations and Experiences of People Seeking Medication Abortion Online in the United States". Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 50 (4): 157–163. doi:10.1363/psrh.12073. PMC 8256438. PMID 29992793. S2CID 51615400.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Les, Krisztina; Gomperts, Rebecca; Gemzell-Danielsson, Kristina (22 Nov 2017). "Experiences of women living in Hungary seeking a medical abortion online". The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care. 22 (5): 360–362. doi:10.1080/13625187.2017.1397112. PMID 29164948. S2CID 26216435.
  13. ↑ Abigail R.A. Aiken; Katherine A. Guthrie; Marlies Schellekens; James Trussell; Rebecca Gomperts (September 20, 2017). "Barriers to accessing abortion services and perspectives on using mifepristone and misoprostol at home in Great Britain". An International Reproductive Health Journal Contraception. 97 (2): 177–183. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2017.09.003. PMC 5801070. PMID 28941978.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ Rebecca Gomperts; Marlies Schellekens; Peter Leusink; Gunilla Kleiverda (6 Nov 2019). "Abortushulp kent te veel barrières".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ Sarah Boseley (27 September 2017). "Almost half of all abortions performed worldwide are unsafe, reveals WHO". Guardian.
  16. ↑ Varon, Joana; Gomperts, Rebecca; Xynou, Maria; Ceratto, Federico; Filastò2019-10-29, Arturo (2019-10-29). "On the blocking of abortion rights websites: Women on Waves & Women on Web". ooni.org. Retrieved 2022-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)


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