Unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal death, and the only one that is completely preventable. Yet over 30 million unsafe abortions occur each year, leading to at least 29,000 deaths and millions of serious complications—nearly all in low- and middle-income countries. MSF teams see these tragic consequences first-hand, treating thousands of patients every year with severe, potentially life-threatening effects from unsafe abortion.

To mark International Safe Abortion Awareness Day (28 September 2024), this Collection presents highlights of MSF’s work on safe abortion care (SAC) as a way to reduce maternal death and injury. By re-assessing and reshaping how our projects deliver SAC in fragile and conflict-affected settings, we have been able to significantly expand services in those contexts and across MSF projects globally. In parallel, we also conducted in-depth studies of abortion complications and their contributing factors in fragile settings, where a dearth of evidence limits understanding of women's needs in accessing comprehensive care. These findings are helping to identify gaps in service delivery and inform operational decision-making.

As we mark World Refugee Day (20 June 2022), over 100 million people globally are forcibly displaced from their home—the highest number ever recorded, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. The health impacts of this displacement are dire: millions of people exposed to violence, infectious disease, and exclusion from health care during often-treacherous journeys or in detention centers and refugee camps.

Here we bring you a selection of MSF research aimed at better understanding and meeting the medical needs of populations along their migration route. Some studies describe the physical and psychological wounds our teams witness among specific populations—from unaccompanied minors to people detained under inhumane conditions in Libya or rescued from drowning after risking everything in perilous Mediterranean Sea crossings. Others assess ways to improve models of care for refugees with chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, or for tackling infectious diseases such as diphtheria and hepatitis E in overcrowded, unhygienic camps.