It’s been nearly a year since the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic—a crisis that has disrupted the lives and educations of millions of school-aged children. Even before the pandemic, an estimated 263 million children were not in school, a number that undoubtedly has grown due to school closures to slow the spread of the virus.
Ipas to lead new regional network for safe abortion in Francophone Africa
A bold new effort to coordinate and catalyze the safe abortion movement across Francophone Africa is under way.
Ugandan medical student speaks out on Helms Amendment
Kizza Blair is a fourth-year medical student in Uganda and a member of Medical Students for Choice. In this Q&A, we ask him about the value of safe abortion care and the impact of the Helms Amendment, a U.S. law that restricts U.S. foreign assistance funding for abortion services and disproportionately affects Black and brown women in low- and middle-income countries.
Direct attack on democracy
Statement from Ipas President and CEO Anu Kumar:
What we saw on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol was an act of domestic terrorism, incited by the current president. This was not an “undermining” of democracy, but a direct attack on it.
Making facemasks to help refugees stay safe in Kenya
In Kenya, the response to curb the COVID-19 pandemic was immediate. In late March, a countrywide quarantine was imposed—airports, schools, churches and mosques were closed, public gatherings were restricted and movement into and around the country was limited.
U.S. election outcome offers hope for justice
Across Bolivia, Ipas materials will help public schools teach sexual violence prevention during the pandemic
Young women and girls in Bolivia are facing a rise in sexual violence since the COVID-19 pandemic began—and Ipas has partnered with the country’s ministry of education to tackle the problem.
Community radio is a vital part of this multi-year family planning project in Bangladesh
As part of a multi-year project launched by Ipas Bangladesh and partners in 2017, listeners can now join a club devoted to reproductive health, with a focus on modern contraception.
U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky: ‘It’s past time for the Helms Amendment to fall’
In recognition of International Safe Abortion Day, Ipas reached out to Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), to talk about H.R. 7816, the Abortion Is Health Care Everywhere Act, the first-ever bill to repeal the Helms Amendment.
Clips from the podcast On the Issues with Michele Goodwin
Keeping Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy of justice alive
Meet Tisungane Sitima, Malawi youth activist working to safeguard reproductive health services during COVID-19
Tisungane Sitima was one of the first students in the gender and development program at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Malawi—an experience that set her on the path to becoming a champion of sexual and reproductive rights. In this Q & A, she talks about why she became an advocate and her work as chairperson of Ipas Malawi’s initiative to protect access to abortion and contraceptive services during—and beyond—the coronavirus pandemic.
Abortion, sexuality, global health and more: A chat with South Africa’s ‘Dr T’
If you haven’t heard of Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng—known popularly as Dr T—you have somehow missed her ubiquitous presence on radio, TV, social media and numerous other platforms. She’s a medical doctor, sex expert and health activist. She’s a member of the South Africa Commission on Gender Equality and was recently appointed as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health. Dr. Mofokeng is also the author of A Guide to Sexual Health and Pleasure. She took time from her busy schedule to field some questions from Ipas.
In humanitarian crises, abortion care can be provided quickly and effectively
Humanitarian health workers see with their own eyes every day that people living in crisis settings have acute needs for sexual and reproductive health care—including safe abortion.
New advocacy toolkit for sexuality education that includes abortion
Comprehensive sexuality education—that includes information about abortion—is essential for young people to be able to make safe, fully informed decisions about their health.
We need ‘a clearer view’ of the impact of the world’s abortion laws
With an eye on major shifts in the abortion landscape, Ipas senior legal advisor Patty Skuster is calling for a more rigorous look at how abortion laws around the world affect public health outcomes.
As sexual violence continues to rise in Nigeria, Ipas and partners advocate for state-level protections
In Mozambique, preventing COVID-19 and ensuring abortion care continues
Ipas Mozambique has a multifaceted approach to ensuring women and girls can still access needed reproductive health care—with minimal risk of COVID-19 infection—during the pandemic.
Ipas videos on abortion with pills attract almost a million views
History in the making: A call to repeal the Helms Amendment
The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, introduced in the U.S. Congress on July 29 by Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, would repeal the Helms Amendment—a racist policy that for nearly 50 years has denied access to abortion services to Black and brown women living in low- and middle-income countries.