If you’ve previously worked with the WHO guidelines on abortion care (2012 Safe abortion guideline, 2015 Health worker roles in providing safe abortion care and post-abortion contraception and 2018 Medical management of abortion) , you may benefit from starting here for a quick glance at what’s additional (either entirely new recommendations; or recommendations that are now presented as separate recommendations, rather than as a composite recommendation), updated, and where the guidance has remained unchanged. On the left you have the sections, topic areas, and the specific recommendation or best practice statement number and type.

ABORTION REGULATION
Criminalization
1 (LAW & POLICY; LP)	ADDITIONAL
Grounds-based approaches
2 (LP)	ADDITIONAL
Gestational age limits
3 (LP)	ADDITIONAL

SERVICES ACROSS THE CONTINUUM OF CARE
Provision of information on abortion care
4 (SERVICE DELIVERY; SD)	UNCHANGED
Provision of counselling
5 (SD)	UPDATED

PRE-ABORTION
Mandatory waiting periods
6 (LP)	ADDITIONAL
Third-party authorization
7 (LP)	ADDITIONAL
Rh isoimmunization for abortion at gestational ages < 12 weeks
8 (CLINICAL SERVICES; CS) (NEW)	ADDITIONAL
Antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical and medical abortion
9 (CS)	UNCHANGED
Determining gestational age of pregnancy: pre-abortion ultrasound scanning
10 (CS)	UNCHANGED
Pain management for abortion
11–14 (CS) for surgical abortion and for prior cervical priming	ADDITIONAL
15 and 16 (CS) for medical abortion	ADDITIONAL
Cervical priming prior to surgical abortion
17 (CS) at < 12 weeks	UPDATED
18 (CS) (NEW) at ≥ 12 weeks	ADDITIONAL
19 (SD) with medication, at any gestational age	UPDATED
20 (SD) with osmotic dilators, at ≥ 12 weeks	UPDATED
Provider restrictions
21 (LP)	ADDITIONAL
Conscientious objection
22 (LP)	ADDITIONAL

ABORTION
Methods of surgical abortion
23 (CS) at < 14 weeks	UNCHANGED
24 (SD) vacuum aspiration at < 14 weeks	UPDATED
25 (CS) at ≥ 14 weeks	UNCHANGED
26 (SD) D&E at ≥ 14 weeks	UPDATED
Medical management of induced abortion
27 (CS) at < 12 weeks	ADDITIONAL
28 (SD) at < 12 weeks in whole or in part (i.e. performing all or some of the subtasks)	UPDATED
29 (CS) at ≥ 12 weeks	UPDATED
30 (SD) at ≥ 12 weeks	UPDATED
Missed abortion
31 (CS) (NEW) Medical management at< 14 weeks	ADDITIONAL
Intrauterine fetal demise
32 (CS) Medical management at≥ 14 to ≤ 28 weeks	UNCHANGED
33 (SD) Medical management at≥ 14 to ≤ 28 weeks	ADDITIONAL

POST-ABORTION
Follow-up care or additional services
34 (CS)	UNCHANGED
Incomplete abortion
35 and 36 (CS)	UNCHANGED
37 (SD) Medical management with misoprostol at < 14 weeks	UPDATED
38 (SD)Vacuum aspiration at < 14 weeks	UPDATED
Management of non-life-threatening complications
39 (SD) Infection	UPDATED
40 (SD) Haemorrhage	UPDATED
Timing of post-abortion contraception
41 (CS) Medical eligibility criteria (MEC) for contraceptive use	UNCHANGED
42 (CS) Contraception and surgical abortion	UNCHANGED
43 (CS) Contraception and medical abortion	UNCHANGED
44 (SD) Intrauterine devices (IUDs)	UNCHANGED
45 (SD) Contraceptive implants	UNCHANGED
46 (SD) Injectable contraceptives	UPDATED
47 (SD) Tubal ligation	UNCHANGED

SERVICE-DELIVERY OPTIONS AND SELF-MANAGEMENT APPROACHES
Telemedicine approaches to delivering medical abortion care
48 (SD) (NEW)	ADDITIONAL
Service-delivery approaches for provision of information, counselling and medical abortion
49 (SD) (NEW)	ADDITIONAL
Self-management of medical abortion at < 12 weeks
50 (SELF-MANAGEMENT)	UPDATED
Self-management approaches for post-abortion contraception (see also Timing of post-abortion contraception, Recommendations 41–47 above)
51 (SELF-MANAGEMENT) Injectable contraception (initiation and continuation)	UPDATED
52 (SELF-MANAGEMENT) Over-the-counter oral contraceptive pills	UNCHANGED
53 (SELF-MANAGEMENT) Over-the-counter emergency contraceptive pills	UNCHANGED
54 (SELF-MANAGEMENT) Condom use	UNCHANGED