Table 3 Overall conclusions from Table A, PICO 2 + Summary B-table + Conclusion from C-table
Outcome | Overall conclusion of evidence (A) | Application of HR standards (B) | Conclusion evidence + HR (C) |
|---|---|---|---|
Workload implications | Overall, evidence from 1 study suggests that MWPs, including when the first visit can be done by phone, contribute to workload implications by increasing staffing costs and logistical difficulties. | MWPs engage states’ obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the rights to life and health (by ensuring abortion regulation is evidence-based and proportionate, and by protecting healthcare professionals providing abortion care). | Workload implications arising from MWPs place significant burdens on healthcare professionals providing abortion care and may result in reduced or hindered access to abortion with negative implications for both their rights and the rights of persons seeking to access abortion. |
System costs | Overall, evidence from 4 studies suggests that MWPs contribute to system costs by: increasing child homicides and unwanted births among minors (Black minors in particular) and by decreasing the proportion of abortions performed < 14 weeks and by decreasing medication abortions. Evidence from 2 studies suggest that when women cannot return for an abortion procedure due to MWPs, the impact on system costs is unclear. Evidence from 2 studies suggest that MWPs do not contribute to system costs relating to preterm birth, low birth weight or postpartum depression, and evidence from 1 study indicates that MWPs reduce system costs by lowering non-marital births. | MWPs engage states’ obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the rights to life and health (by ensuring abortion regulation is evidence-based and proportionate), and the right to equality and non-discrimination. | MWPs are associated with system costs. In the absence of clinical justification for such MWPs, these costs may constitute a disproportionate interference with the rights of abortion seekers. This may disproportionately be the case for adolescents and Black minors. |
Stigmatization | No evidence identified. | MWPs engage states’ obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the rights to life and health (by protecting healthcare professionals providing abortion care). | N/A |
Impact on provider-patient relationship | No evidence identified | N/A | N/A |