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Vientiane: Difference between revisions

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===What to Get & Where to Get It===
===What to Get & Where to Get It===


The state of abortion law in Laos is in transition. Here's how a health care professional, based in Laos, explains the current situation (as of June 2017): "It is really difficult to figure out what to say in this transition period because what happens in practice is very different than what happens by law: In Laos, abortion is generally available, however, the area around what is legal vs what is available in practice is grey. Safe abortion services are available at provincial and district hospitals, where OBGY providers are generally trained in MVA and Medical Abortion with Misoprostol. Though historically abortion has been illegal or highly restricted except in incidences where a mother's life is in danger or the fetus is impaired, in fairly common practice a woman could also seek abortion services for socioeconomic reasons with a written certificate from their village chief, which confirms that the woman is too poor or has too many children to afford any more children. Misoprostol, a drug that is effective on it's own for abortions, is legally registered and available in Laos under the brand name Ace Miso. Many (but certainly not all) pharmacies routinely stock this drug and some will provide it even without a prescription.  Mifepristone, a drug that greatly increases the effectiveness of Misoprostol when taken together, is available through some pharmacies and providers, though it is not yet legally registered or regulated in Laos.   
The state of abortion law in Laos is in transition. Here's how a health care professional, based in Laos, explains the current situation (as of June 2017): "There is actually a lot of misinformation about abortion in Laos floating around. A lot of reputable websites do report that it is illegal except to save a woman’s life, but this isn’t true. Abortion is not illegal at all, but until 2016 it was restricted." She continues, "It is really difficult to figure out what to say in this transition period because what happens in practice is very different than what happens by law: In Laos, abortion is generally available, however, the area around what is legal vs what is available in practice is grey. Safe abortion services are available at provincial and district hospitals, where OBGY providers are generally trained in MVA and Medical Abortion with Misoprostol. Though historically abortion has been illegal or highly restricted except in incidences where a mother's life is in danger or the fetus is impaired, in fairly common practice a woman could also seek abortion services for socioeconomic reasons with a written certificate from their village chief, which confirms that the woman is too poor or has too many children to afford any more children. Misoprostol, a drug that is effective on it's own for abortions, is legally registered and available in Laos under the brand name Ace Miso. Many (but certainly not all) pharmacies routinely stock this drug and some will provide it even without a prescription.  Mifepristone, a drug that greatly increases the effectiveness of Misoprostol when taken together, is available through some pharmacies and providers, though it is not yet legally registered or regulated in Laos.   


Laotian abortion law is also in a state of transition. In 2016, the government went through a process of liberalizing the guidelines for safe abortion services and these changes will become publicly disseminated later in 2017. The penal code still needs to be revised, as it currently does not comply with these new guidelines."
Laotian abortion law is also in a state of transition. In 2016, the government went through a process of liberalizing the guidelines for safe abortion services and these changes will become publicly disseminated later in 2017. The penal code still needs to be revised, as it currently does not comply with these new guidelines."

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