Kelcey Armstrong-Walenczak, Senior Advocacy Manager, Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI), reminded us that the human right to health as recognised in the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and reaffirmed through multiple international agreements places 3 fundamental responsibilities on states to respect, to protect, and to fulfill:
- Respect means removing the legal and practical barriers that prevent people from accessing services, including restrictive abortion laws, unnecessary medical authorisations, or stigmatising procedures,
- Protect refers to safeguarding individuals from discrimination, coercion, and violence, and
- fulfill means actively ensuring that the full range of health and services, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare, are available, accessible, acceptable, and of good quality.
Safe abortion care sits squarely within this framework. Without it, the right to health cannot be fully realised. Global health landscape is more challenging than at any point in recent memory. Around the world, we are witnessing the rise of regressive policies that are rolling back hard-won rights. We are seeing a retreat from multilateralism at the very moment when global challenges most require global cooperation. We face increasing politicisation and polarisation of health issues as well as anti-science rhetoric that undermines evidence-based policy. These trends have real consequences. They cost lives. They deepen inequalities and weaken the credibility of health systems and trust in governments as providers and protectors of health. We need an urgent reset to reframe action through the lens of the right to health. Sexual and reproductive health and rights are not optional. They are not negotiable. They are obligations under international law. And they are essential for advancing equity, dignity, and justice, particularly for marginalised groups, including women, young people, and the LGBTQIA+ community, said Kelcey.
They also bring wide-ranging benefits, healthier communities, stronger economies, more resilient societies and greater equity and stability. Their implementation creates opportunities for development and enhances health sovereignty within and across states. Advancing the right to health is a shared responsibility. Ensuring access to safe abortion is not only a matter of legal obligation, but also of sound public policy and effective governance. We believe that progress comes from dialogue, evidence, and cooperation across sectors and regions, added Kelcey of CeHDI.
Denying safe abortion rights is violation of women's rights
Safe abortion rights are part of sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice and not separate. That is why in 1990, 28th September was first observed as Safe Abortion Day (Campaa 28 Septiembre) in Argentina and other places in Latin America, to advocate for decriminalising abortion and access to safe abortion services. The meeting was held in San Bernardo, Argentina, with Latin American groups where we proposed to have 28th September as a day for united advocacy for safe abortion rights. Not giving safe abortion rights is states' violation of womens rights, said Dr Mabel Bianco, noted physician activist and founding president of FEIM (foundation for studies and research on women), Argentina.
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