The recently concluded Global Safe Abortion Conference served as a venue in addressing issues surrounding abortion worldwide—focusing on rights, access, advocacy, and funding. A Global Call to Action for Women’s Access to Safe Abortion was then signed by the participants and is now available online to solicit more support.

Increasing access to safe abortion care, recognising women’s right to self determination, and encouraging legal reforms are the central themes of discussions during the Global Safe Abortion Conference held in London last October 23-24.

Over 700 public health experts, government representatives, and activists from more than 60 countries attended this conference organised by Marie Stopes International, in association with Ipas and Abortion Rights.

The conference served as a platform in putting challenges to the fore and in highlighting successes in ending deaths and injuries from unsafe abortion. Participants also renewed their commitment and strengthened alliances for expanding access to safe abortion care across the globe.

As a way of reinforcing their newly renewed commitment, delegates signed a Global Call to Action for Women’s Access to Safe Abortion, which calls on governments, donors, and medical institutions to commit in ensuring availability and access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care and safe abortion services in both the public and private sectors. In particular, the Global Call to Action demands the following:
- Women’s rights to contraception and safe abortion are protected and supported through reformed laws and policies at all levels;
- Governmental authorities and donors commit increased resources to ensure that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, including contraception and safe abortion services, is widely available through skilled providers in both public and private health systems;
- Medical training institutions routinely provide training in abortion-related care for physicians, nurses, midwives, and other healthcare workers;
- Women and healthcare providers are informed about women’s legal rights and reproductive options, and know where contraception, safe abortions and other reproductive health care can be obtained; and
- Women in vulnerable circumstances have access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care that responds to their special needs—including young women and women who are poor, are refugees or displaced, or are survivors of sexual violence.

Visit <http://www.mariestopes.org/documents/Global_Call_to_Action.pdf> to express your support to this Global Call to Action, which will then be introduced at key inter-governmental meetings as a tool to influence policy and generate funding to tackle the issue of unsafe abortion.

Source:
“27 October 2007: Ground-breaking conference signals new phase in the fight for Global Safe Abortion” from Marie Stopes International, posted on November 8, 2007, <http://www.mariestopes.org/ShowContent.aspx?id=511>.