Women on Web

Women on Web (WoW) is a Canadian non-profit organization that provides access to safe abortion services to protect women's health and lives.[1] People who need access to safe abortion can do an online consultation on the Women on Web website and request abortion pills from their medical team .[2] 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. The organization was founded by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch physician, in 2005.[3]

For organizations with similar names, see Women on the Web.
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

Research[4] shows that if safe abortions are not available, women will voluntarily risk their health and lives to have unsafe abortions from unqualified persons in unhygienic conditions. Women on Web's goal is to make safe abortion care accessible for all women and pregnant people, free from shame and stigma by providing access to safe telemedicine abortions.

Self-managed medical abortion is done with mifepristone and misoprostol at home before the 12th week of pregnancy.[5][6] 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.[7][2] 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.[6]

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".[8]

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.[9][10][11][12][13] 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.[14]

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.[9]

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 unavailable. Women on Web maintains several local language websites to circumvent online censorship and expand access to their service. Please see the list of websites below:

People can also email Women on Web and their help desk can send the consultation form via email.

See also

References
  1. "About Women on Web". Daily Telegraph. 2020-05-29. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  2. "I need an abortion". Women on Web. 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  3. Grant, Rebecca. "The Website Providing Abortion Without Borders". Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  4. "Preventing unsafe abortions". World Health Organization. 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  5. "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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. "Women on Web starts providing abortion pills in advance". Women on Web. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  9. 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)
  10. 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)
  11. 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.
  12. 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)
  13. 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)
  14. Sarah Boseley (27 September 2017). "Almost half of all abortions performed worldwide are unsafe, reveals WHO". Guardian.


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