Shanti: I choose choice by providing abortion

MSI is made up of almost 9,000 dedicated professionals fighting for and delivering reproductive choice around the world. As part of our 2023 Annual Review, we featured stories from our healthcare providers, clients, and partners on why and how they choose choice.

“I see women every day who are conscious about their career, family, economic status and their dreams. They come to me seeking an abortion because they want the future that’s right for them.

These are the lucky ones. For one, they live in Nepal—where abortion laws are liberal and the government supports it. For another, they have found MSI which means they’ll receive safe and quality abortion care. Some are not so lucky. They might instead find unauthorised ‘abortion providers’—there’s even one across the street from our clinic trying to lure clients in. They are not safe or quality. I was saddened to hear about a woman who recently died from heavy bleeding in one of these places. Some women even take things into their own hands, using unsafe methods to abort their pregnancies. Even with our liberal laws, the stigma surrounding abortion lurks, leaving devastation in its wake.

Last year, a woman came to us after taking dodgy medical abortion pills from a non-registered supplier. I was grateful to be able to support her with post-abortion care, and thankfully, this woman got her life back. I’m happy about providing abortion. If anyone can confidently say that abortion saves lives, it’s me, because I see this every day. And even if it isn’t a life-or-death situation, women should have choices to protect their own health and wellbeing.

Let me tell you about my great team at MSI Nepal who are expanding abortion access. We build awareness via radio jingles, social media, billboards, tv ads, you name it! Our lovely contact centre staff field people’s calls and messages and give information and advice. The free, government-accredited phone number is also featured in school textbooks so adolescents can seek help with us.

Our clinics offer in-person abortion. When a client enters our blue door, we are there for them. When we see a young person feeling uncomfortable sitting in the waiting room, we take them into a separate counselling room quickly. We don’t ask if they’re married or interrogate their reasons for having an abortion. We let them know that we will respect their confidentiality and choices, and we provide them with healthcare.

But some people can’t come to a clinic. And not all government health providers are able to provide abortion. So we hire and train healthcare providers based in local communities, and coordinate with local governments to bring reproductive healthcare to rural places. We also have roaming nurses called MSI Ladies that trek to far-reaching places (when I say trek, I mean they literally scale mountains!) to provide medical abortion as well as contraception and support.

2023 was an interesting year globally when it comes to abortion; it feels like we’re on a precipice and anti-choice ‘noise’ is getting scarily louder. But when I look around, I see my brave colleagues who are as passionate as I am about making abortion available to those who want it.

In the future, I want nations to learn from Nepal’s liberal stance. I hope for more international funding. And I’d love for everyone to know about their rights and where they can seek safe services.

I’ve had the privilege of providing countless women with abortions, even one of my family members. Some women come and ask for me by name, they write to me, and they want to touch my feet out of respect. They respect me, and I respect them. And we should all respect abortion. Namaste.”

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