abortion is essential healthcare
Agrees Amy
Williamson, Country Director, Marie Stopes International, Cambodia, who was
also the Chair of eighth session of APCRSHR10: restrictive access to abortion
is tied up in outdated laws and policies and the current pandemic has only made
it more urgent that these policies are changed to prevent an increase in
unintended pregnancies, births and unsafe abortions. It is more important now
than ever that abortion is recognised by governments and within health systems
as essential healthcare. We need to take the stigma out of it and make it
comfortable for everyone to speak about it, especially the young.
Yes, we need safe abortion services for everyone. But, as someone remarked, our
long term goal - which should be achieved as soon as possible - must be to
ensure every pregnancy is wanted and no unintended pregnancy is conceived at
all. This can happen only if women and men can access and use options to
prevent them. The wall of hegemonic control that patriarchy wields on women's
sexual and reproductive lives has to be demolished.
Shobha Shukla - CNS (Citizen News Service)
(Shobha Shukla is the founding Managing Editor of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Media Network to end TB & tobacco and prevent NCDs (APCAT Media). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here www.bit.ly/ShobhaShukla)
- Shared under Creative Commons
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
