Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programs have a positive impact on young people’s sexual and reproductive health—and their ability to make safe and informed decisions. But the topic of abortion remains absent from most programs, even in places where abortion is legal. This diminishes young people’s ability to avoid the dangers of unsafe abortion, to make fully informed choices, and to exercise their right to legal, accessible abortion.
Ipas works with global, national and local institutions to advocate for the inclusion of accurate, non-biased information on abortion in comprehensive sexuality education programs. Plus, we seek to help governments uphold their obligation to provide comprehensive information on sexual and reproductive health to all young people.
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It’s essential that young people have information about abortion, understand the laws in their context, and know how to access safe services.
– Cecilia Espinoza, Senior Advocacy Advisor
From our projects around the world—including educating female factory workers in Nepal and marginalized students in Mexico City about how to access safe, legal abortion—Ipas knows that a successful comprehensive sexuality education program is more than just a curriculum. Programs must include training key stakeholders—especially teachers, parents and community members—plus a functional system for referring students to health services, available services that are youth-friendly, and strong partnerships with local organizations that work with youth.
Ipas toolkit helps advocates build support for sexuality education that includes abortion