Unsafe abortion is a significant contributor to worldwide maternal mortality; however, abortion law and policy\r\nliberalization could lead to drops in unsafe abortion and related deaths. This review provides an analysis of\r\nchanges in abortion mortality in three countries where significant policy reform and related service delivery\r\noccurred. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature, population data and grey literature on programs and policies, this\r\npaper demonstrates the policy and program changes that led to declines in abortion-related mortality in Romania,\r\nSouth Africa and Bangladesh. In all three countries, abortion policy liberalization was followed by implementation\r\nof safe abortion services and other reproductive health interventions. South Africa and Bangladesh trained midlevel\r\nproviders to offer safe abortion and menstrual regulation services, respectively, Romania improved\r\ncontraceptive policies and services, and Bangladesh made advances in emergency obstetric care and family\r\nplanning. The findings point to the importance of multi-faceted and complementary reproductive health reforms\r\nin successful implementation of abortion policy reform.
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