Ipas | Protecting women's health, advancing women's reproductive rights

January 23, 2012

Mary Fjerstad, Defender of Choice

On the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, San Diego “Defender of Choice” Mary Fjerstad, director of medical affairs and pharmacovigilance at WomanCare Global, an Ipas partner organization, reflects on her work as a nurse practitioner and the many women around the globe whose lives have touched hers. More»

January 20, 2012

Developing countries hit hardest by stalled abortion rate

The falling rate of induced abortions worldwide has stalled in the last five years, and the proportion of abortions considered unsafe continues to rise, according to new research by the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization. But these trends do not affect all women equally: they almost exclusively affect women in developing countries where abortion is illegal. More»

January 11, 2012

Health facility in Ethiopia

Ipas model tracks improved safe abortion care, including contraception, in Ethiopia

Findings from a two-year project using the Safe Abortion Care (SAC) monitoring approach in the Tigray region of Ethiopia show marked improvements in services, more facilities offering safe abortion care; a shift from treatment of abortion complications to provision of safe abortion; decentralization of services; and improvements in postabortion contraceptive uptake from 2007 to 2009. More»

January 6, 2012

Ipas Zambia director Felicia Sakala and Dr. Max Bweupe of the Ministry of Health opened the Zambia office with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

With official launch of Ipas Zambia, expanded efforts under way to improve access to safe abortion care

Five years into its work to reduce the number of deaths from unsafe abortion in Zambia, Ipas is stepping up its efforts by launching a full-scale country program. Ipas Zambia officially opened its office on December 14, 2011, with a ceremony in Lusaka attended by a representative of the Ministry of Health and dozens of local partners and Ipas staff. More»

December 22, 2011

The Helms amendment prevents U.S.-funded health centers from giving women comprehensive counseling about pregnancy options.

Ipas, members of Congress call for end to overly restrictive U.S. abortion policy abroad

Noting that current restrictions on foreign aid for abortion services go beyond even those imposed by the highly restrictive Helms Amendment—cutting off access to critical and potentially life-saving services for millions of women in the developing world—the Center for Reproductive Rights and Ipas joined with the 12 members of Congress who issued a letter Wednesday calling on President Barack Obama to lift all restrictions that exceed the mandate of the 1973 law. More»

December 19, 2011

Ipas Bolivia's Malena Morales hands out information on the importance of speaking out against sexual violence at a public march on Nov. 25....

Ipas message across Latin America: Sexual and reproductive rights are human rights

Ipas Central America joined a crowd marching in the streets of Nicaragua’s capital, Managua, on Nov. 25 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. And on the same day in Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, more than a thousand people—including Ipas Bolivia team members—marched against gender-based violence. More»

December 15, 2011

Comprehensive abortion care saves women's lives

Every year, 21 million women worldwide risk their lives with an unsafe abortion. Ipas is working to solve this problem. Watch our new video and share with your networks. More»

November 30, 2011

Family planning leaders should help women with unwanted pregnancies obtain safe, legal abortion

Discussions at this week’s International Family Planning Conference attest to significant progress in improving women’s access to effective contraception and life-saving postabortion care. But these efforts are not enough, said Ipas President and CEO Elizabeth Maguire. The international family planning community in particular can and must do much more to protect women from unsafe abortion. More»

October 19, 2011

Latest issue of Because magazine addresses abortion stigma

The stigma that surrounds abortion and anyone associated with it contributes to abortion’s social, medical and legal marginalization. At Ipas, we’re working to understand abortion stigma and develop strategies to combat it. Read about what we've learned in this issue of Because. More»

August 12, 2011

Improving abortion care for young women

Around the world, young women are particularly vulnerable to unwanted pregnancy. Because of the changing circumstances of young women’s lives and the many barriers they face in accessing safe abortion care--putting them at particular risk for unsafe abortion--Ipas has developed a toolkit to help health-care providers focus on the needs of young women. More»

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Ipas works around the world to increase women's ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, especially the right to safe abortion. More »

Featured Resource: Community Voices Strategies to address unsafe abortion