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# Resolution 051 of 2023: abortion care

- Law

The Ministry of Health rule that tells insurers and hospitals how they must provide voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVE).

Updated Nov 13, 2026

## Key points

- Up to week 24, the decision of the woman or pregnant person is enough (art. 6); after that, one of the three grounds is identified (art. 7).
- The health ground may be certified by a physician or a psychologist; the fetal anomaly ground, by a physician (art. 7).
- Care is immediate; only exceptionally and with justification, a maximum of five calendar days (art. 9).
- No co-payments or user fees (art. 11).
- Forbidden barriers: delaying boards, court orders, forensic reports or relatives' authorisation (art. 15).
- Conscientious objection only by the professional who performs the procedure, in writing and with referral; never by the institution (art. 16).

## What it is

Resolution 051 of 12 January 2023 from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection adopted the single regulation for comprehensive care in voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVE), in line with rulings C-355 of 2006, SU-096 of 2018 and C-055 of 2022. It turns the Court's decisions into service rules: who has access, within what time, who certifies a ground after week 24, which barriers are forbidden and how conscientious objection works. It binds the National Health Superintendency, the health secretariats, the insurers (EPS) and all providers. This page goes into the detail that the page on ruling C-055 of 2022 only summarises.

## Key articles

- Art. 1: adopts the single regulation for IVE care and amends section 4.2 of Resolution 3280 of 2018 (maternal and perinatal care pathway).
- Art. 2: binds the National Health Superintendency, health secretariats, insurers, special regimes and all providers.
- Art. 6: access starts from the expressed will of the girl, adolescent, woman or pregnant person; the paragraph clarifies that «woman» includes girls and adolescents, and «pregnant person» includes trans men and non-binary people.
- Art. 7: after week 24 a ground is identified: risk to life or to physical, mental or social health (certified by a physician or psychologist); a fetal anomaly incompatible with life (certified by a physician); or sexual violence, non-consensual insemination or embryo transfer, or incest.
- Art. 7: care for sexual violence does not depend on a criminal complaint; if there is none, the professional notifies the authorities. Sexual intercourse with a person under 14 is always presumed to be sexual violence.
- Art. 8: clear, objective information without dissuasive content, including the option of continuing the pregnancy or adoption; a free decision without coercion; confidentiality; third parties in the consultation only if the woman asks.
- Art. 9: care is immediate; only in exceptional, justified cases is a maximum of five calendar days from first contact allowed.
- Art. 11: IVE care and procedures are exempt from co-payments and user fees.
- Art. 15: forbids refusing IVE when the conditions are met, delays through committees or audits, demanding forensic reports, court orders or relatives' authorisation, collective refusal pacts and misleading information.
- Art. 16: only the person who directly performs the procedure may object, in writing, with personal reasons and naming an available, qualified professional; administrative, support or management staff may not refuse or delay care; legal entities cannot object.

## What Resolution 051 requires at each stage of pregnancy

| Stage | Requirement for access | Who certifies |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Up to week 24 | The decision of the woman or pregnant person | No one: no ground is required |
| After week 24, health ground | Risk to life or to physical, mental or social health | Physician or psychologist |
| After week 24, fetal anomaly ground | Anomaly incompatible with life | Physician |
| After week 24, violence ground | Sexual violence, non-consensual insemination or transfer, or incest | No certificate required; without a complaint, the professional notifies |

## In clinical practice

- Record the date of the request in the chart: the art. 9 time limit runs from then.
- A certificate from a psychologist or from a physician outside the insurer's network cannot be disregarded (art. 15).
- Give complete information, including on continuing the pregnancy or adoption, without judgement or messages meant to change the decision.
- If you object on grounds of conscience, put it in writing in advance and make sure the referral happens; the rest of the team provides care before and after the procedure.

## Status and official text

- Official text checked on 2026-11-13 in the National Health Superintendency's official compilation (the minsalud.gov.co PDF is a scanned image of the same text).
- Resolution 051 of 12 January 2023, published in Diario Oficial 52.276 of 13 January 2023; in force from publication (art. 18).
- Amends section 4.2 of the annex to Resolution 3280 of 2018; its technical annex replaced that section.
- In 2023 the Council of State refused an urgent interim measure seeking its suspension and admitted an annulment claim; no decision annulling or suspending it was found on official sites.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What is enough to obtain an abortion before week 24 under Resolution 051 of 2023?

The expressed will of the woman or pregnant person (art. 6). No ground, board or third-party authorisation is required.

## Who may certify the health-risk ground after week 24?

A physician or a psychologist (art. 7). The fetal anomaly ground is certified by a physician.

## Within what time must an abortion request be attended?

Care is immediate. Only in exceptional, justified cases is a maximum of five calendar days from first contact allowed (art. 9).

## What does Resolution 051 presume when the pregnant girl is under 14?

That the intercourse was sexual violence, in every case (art. 7).

## Who may raise conscientious objection under art. 16 of Resolution 051?

Only the professional who directly performs the procedure, in writing and with referral to an available professional. Administrative staff and institutions cannot object.

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## Connections

## Related 5

- [Sentencia C-055 de 2022: abortion up to week 24](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/sentencia-c-055-de-2022-abortion-up-to-week-24/)
- [Sentencia C-355 de 2006: the three grounds for abortion](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/sentencia-c-355-de-2006-the-three-grounds-for-abortion/)
- [Conscientious objection in health care](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/conscientious-objection-in-health-care/)
- [Abortion in girls and adolescents](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/abortion-in-girls-and-adolescents/)
- [Professional secrecy and confidentiality](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/professional-secrecy-and-confidentiality/)

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Educational content on ethics and health law; not legal advice. Laws and case law change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, read the text in force and ask a lawyer or the medical ethics tribunal.

Sources: [Resolución 051 de 2023, regulación única para la atención integral en salud frente a la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo](https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/DE/DIJ/resolucion-051-de-2023.pdf) (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, 2023); [Sentencia C-055 de 2022](https://www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/relatoria/2022/C-055-22.htm) (Corte Constitucional de Colombia, 2022); [Sentencia C-355 de 2006](https://www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/relatoria/2006/C-355-06.htm) (Corte Constitucional de Colombia, 2006).

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/resolution-051-of-2023-abortion-care/