According to Cockroft, "Legal status of abortion does not always predict that an abortion will be safe or unsafe. However legal restrictions are known to be more likely to lead to unsafe abortions. Restricting abortion by law does not prevent or reduce abortions but keeps them unsafe. When pregnant people want an abortion they will find a means to obtain it, even if it is unsafe. Abortion rates in countries which legally restrict abortion are actually higher than those where abortion is available on request. At the same time, in countries where abortion is less restricted under the law, many people may still struggle to access safe abortions due to lack of accessible and affordable clinical services."
For example, despite progressive legislation for access to abortion services, India continues to have unsafe abortions. According to a study an estimated 77% of unplanned pregnancies end in abortion in India, and only 22% of these abortions were considered safe. Nearly eight women die each day due to causes related to unsafe abortion in the country.
Jessica Work, Youth Networker for the Pacific at the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) for East and South-East Asia and Oceania Region, calls for decriminalising safe abortion and make it accessible to all in a rights-based manner by using a human-rights lens and not a religious lens.
She stresses upon the need to engage young people in decision-making about policies that impact their lives, so that future generations have a choice envisioning a world where we break the shackles of stigma around abortion through unity, intersectionality and intergenerational mentoring.
All countries have committed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), two of which are specifically related to addressing unsafe abortion. SDG-3 and SDG-5 advocate for removing barriers to unsafe abortion as key objectives for achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health, reducing maternal mortality and promotion of gender equality. No woman should be forced to continue a pregnancy against her will, or face life, health, or legal risks as a result of having an abortion.
Celebrated every year on September 28, the International Safe Abortion Day is a global day of action to demand access to safe and legal abortions everywhere and for all women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals. This year's theme focuses on solidarity and collective efforts of diverse, intergenerational, and cross-border communities for advancing the right to reproductive justice.
Virginia Allen is a 93-year-old person living in Seaview Hospital facility who served as a nurse (often referred to as Black Angels) in Staten Island, US. Virginia says abortion rights are healthcare rights. She calls for ensuring that every girl and woman has full access to entire cascade of healthcare services required for maternal health and overall health and wellbeing.
Shobha Shukla - CNS (Citizen News Service)
(Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of Citizen News Service and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here www.bit.ly/ShobhaShukla)
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