# From Pledge to Practice: A Call for FIGO/WHO to Issue Harmonized, Consolidated Abortion Care Guidelines

## TL;DR

This paper calls for global health agencies to create unified abortion care guidelines to reduce maternal mortality from unsafe abortion.

## Contribution

The paper proposes harmonizing abortion care guidelines among global health agencies to ensure consistency and improve evidence-based care.

## Key findings

- A consolidated postpartum hemorrhage management guideline was successfully issued by WHO, FIGO, and ICM.
- Pledge walls at the FIGO congress symbolize a commitment to end PPH and unsafe abortion as leading causes of maternal mortality.
- The authors advocate for a similar collaborative effort to develop unified abortion care guidelines.

## Abstract

October 5, 2025, saw the launch of first‐ever consolidated postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) management guidelines issued by three global health agencies—World Health Organization (WHO), Federation International of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO), and International Confederation of Midwives (ICM)—at the FIGO congress in Cape Town, South Africa. This landmark XXV FIGO 2025 congress also hosted inauguration of two vital pledge walls—“End PPH” and “Safe abortion saves women. Denial takes them.” These pledge walls represent a commitment to initiatives of end two leading causes of maternal mortality at global level, which are PPH and unsafe abortion. We call on WHO and FIGO—in collaboration with Society of Family Planning (SFP) and other guideline‐setting bodies—to convene a similar harmonization and process and issue a consolidated, consistent abortion care guidelines to reduce contradictory recommendations and improve uptake of evidence‐based recommendations.