A cross-partner coalition, led by Marie Stopes International (MSI), Ipas, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Population Services International (PSI) and the Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF), have launched SafeAccess, the first digital platform of its kind, working to eliminate unsafe abortion by putting evidence-based guidance in the hands of frontline practitioners and policy makers.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, almost half of all abortions that will occur this year, an estimated 25 million, will be unsafe. It’s predicted that 7 million women and girls will suffer devastating injuries and over 22,000 will die. The World Health Organization states that almost every single one of these deaths could be prevented. Through sexuality education, contraception, and the provision of safe, legal abortion and post-abortion care, no woman or girl should die for the right to determine her own future. Yet, from the southern states of America to sub-Saharan Africa, we see every day that people are having their right to access reproductive healthcare denied.
With the recent expansion of the Mexico City Policy (also known as the Global Gag Rule) and in the face of an emboldened opposition, five of the world’s largest sexual and reproductive health organisations are standing together in support of a woman’s right to safe abortion. Recognising the challenge ahead, MSI, Ipas, IPPF, PSI and SAAF are launching SafeAccess: an online platform sharing briefs, infographics, videos, toolkits and more, on what quality safe abortion and post-abortion care programming looks like worldwide.
As a coalition of the largest sexual and reproductive health organisations worldwide, the SafeAccess hub will host valuable resources alongside previously unpublished lessons on what works, to support frontline practitioners and policy makers to remove barriers and expand access to life-saving services.
In a joint statement launching SafeAccess, the CEOs of MSI, IPPF, Ipas, PSI and SAAF said:
“As part of our commitment to both sharing our knowledge and to a more collective approach, Marie Stopes International, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Ipas, Population Services International and the Safe Abortion Action Fund are delighted to launch the SafeAccess Hub. As implementing organisations, we share our own learnings on what works, with the hope that those on the frontline can use these lessons to expand access to life-saving services.
“With growing opposition to reproductive rights, it is more important than ever that our community comes together in support of a woman’s right to safe abortion. It is time to remove barriers to access, to put women at the centre of reproductive health programmes and to finally eliminate unsafe abortion, together.”
SafeAccess is being launched at the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver on Wednesday 5th June. Women Deliver is the world’s largest conference on gender equality.
