This guideline provides best practice clinical guidance for health professionals on abortion care in the Aotearoa New Zealand context.
On 24 March 2020 New Zealand changed the law to decriminalise abortion, align the regulation of abortion services with other health services and modernise the overarching legal framework for abortion services.
Like other health services, quality abortion service provision is underpinned by clinical guidance and national standards to support health practitioners provide consistent, quality care. This New Zealand Aotearoa Abortion Clinical Guideline outlines the recommendations that have been developed by experts currently working in abortion care and aided by rigorous research and analysis of international best practice examples.
This guideline replaces the Interim Standards for Abortion Services and is intended for use by health practitioners who provide or are looking to provide abortion care and cover pre, during and post abortion specific content.
The guideline should be read in conjunction with Ngā Paerewa Health and Disability services standard 8134:2021 and the corresponding Sector Guidance for Abortion Services. The 2021 standard, alongside the sector guidance and this guideline, provides a suite of information about best practice abortion provision.