This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
On November 15, 2019, women's advocacy groups from around the world gathered at the ICPD25 forum in Nairobi, Kenya, to push for safe abortion as a priority under maternal healthcare.
The groups emphasized the need for governments to fulfill the International Conference on Population and Development's (ICPD) commitments on women's health and rights through universal access to safe abortion.
According to the panel, continued criminalization of safe abortion is weakening efforts to provide quality maternal care in many parts of the globe, particularly in the developing world.
Dr. AnaCristina Gonzalez Velez, a member of the Global Doctors for Choice, highlighted the issue of maternal morbidity in regions with restrictive abortion laws, stating, "Maternal morbidity is still an issue in these regions because women are accessing unsafe abortions due to these restrictive regulations and lack of access. We have much to learn from each other."
Ms. Sivananthi Thanenthiran, executive director of Arrow (Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women), noted that legalizing safe abortion is not a foreign imposition on African countries, but rather a matter of aligning with the continent's legal system.
Women's organizations also emphasized the importance of allowing women to make their own decisions regarding abortion, with Ipas director Ernest Njamato stating, "It is a difficult decision for women to make. Women are the ones that are affected by child bearing, so they should be allowed to make their own decisions."
