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A new systematic review of medical abortion in the late first trimester reports a range of efficacy and provides reassurance that adverse events are rare, but highlights the need for further research. A growing proportion of induced abortions in the United States and internationally are medical abortions. There are few medical requirements for safe provision […]
A new law in Nepal aims to further expand access to reproductive health services, including safe abortion care. The Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act, approved by Parliament and endorsed by the President Rt. Hon. Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Sept. 18, includes provisions increasing the number of conditions under which abortion is legal and […]
By Anu Kumar, Ipas CEO and President Adapted from Kumar’s Mahmoud Fathalla Lecture, “The centrality of reproductive health and choice in women’s lives,” presented at the 2018 FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Dr. Fathalla, a former president of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), is a lifelong women’s health and rights […]
Ipas is pleased to welcome our new Chief of Development and External Relations, Muadi Mukenge. As part of the executive leadership at Ipas, Muadi will oversee and provide strategic direction for the organization’s work on partnerships, development, and communications. Her vision will be integral in crafting and executing long- and short-range fundraising and communications initiatives […]
By Anu Kumar, Ipas President and CEO Here in the United States, those of us committed to reproductive rights and justice have been fighting an uphill battle for decades—one that got even more intense in 2016 due to the presidential election. Even before the 2016 election, the gains made here have been threatened by constant […]
The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) has adopted a resolution acknowledging the need for safe abortion care for women and girls living in humanitarian settings around the world.
Safe, legal abortion is available in Nepal, but out of reach for many women in remote areas. We’re working to change that. A remarkable collaborative effort involving community members, government health officials, partner organizations and Ipas Nepal has brought safe abortion services to one of the most rugged and remote areas of Nepal, the Mugu […]
In an historic two-day hearing before Brazil’s Supreme Court last week, experts presented arguments and evidence regarding the question of whether abortion should be made legal up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Currently abortion is a crime in Brazil—except after rape, if a woman’s life is in danger, or if the fetus has a fatal […]
In an historic shift toward greater fulfillment of women’s sexual and reproductive rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), women can now legally access abortion under a broader range of conditions—including in cases of sexual assault, rape or incest, and when a continued pregnancy would endanger the mental and physical health of the woman […]
Metrics for Management, Ibis Reproductive Health, and Ipas have joined forces to launch the Abortion Service Quality (ASQ) Initiative. Launched in April 2018, this three-year project will develop, validate, disseminate, and champion the widespread adoption of a common measure of abortion service quality for use in and out of facilities. The resulting measures will be used […]
A study released last month by Ipas Mexico finds that sexual violence is a significant cause of pregnancies in Mexican girls ages 10-14—and recommends specific actions in the country’s health, education and legal sectors to combat the problem and ensure victims can access adequate care, including safe abortion services. The study, “Sexual violence and child […]
By Anu Kumar, Ipas President and CEO Well, now we know—President Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh to fill Justice Kennedy’s U.S. Supreme Court seat. When Justice Kennedy announced he’ll retire at the end of July, there was a collective panic attack on the part of thousands of us who work to protect reproductive rights. Kennedy […]
A new online toolkit that is designed to improve access to contraception and abortion care for the millions of women and girls living in refugee camps and other crisis settings is now available from Ipas. Release of the toolkit coincides with World Refugee Day. Worldwide, there are more than 135 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Of […]
Statement from Anu Kumar, Ipas President and CEO: We at Ipas are heartened by the Irish people’s vote to repeal the country’s constitutional amendment criminalizing abortion. It is a true step forward and a lifesaving vote for women. Ireland’s staunch position against abortion has, in fact, been lethal. Savita Hallapanavar’s death after being denied an abortion in […]
By Anu Kumar, Ipas President and CEO When I first learned about the issue of maternal mortality as a student, I remember being shocked at the numbers and shocked at the stark disparity in who is dying. There is a good reason that maternal mortality is used as an indicator of inequality between and within […]
Accelerate Progress, a report published today in The Lancet,outlines a bold agenda to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Accelerate Progress emphasizes the need for national governments, international organizations, donors, civil society groups and key stakeholders to adopt a holistic approach to reproductive health services. This approach encompasses the “right of all individuals […]
The Ipas Board of Directors today named Anu Kumar as President and CEO of Ipas, effective immediately. Kumar, an anthropologist and public health expert, joined Ipas in 2002 and has served as Interim President and CEO for the past six months. “We are thrilled Dr. Kumar has accepted this new and challenging role. There is […]
Both the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) meetings are important spaces where countries and advocates work to advance international human rights agreements, including those focused on sexual and reproductive rights. This year, these spaces were more contentious than ever, fueled by the U.S. […]
In low- and middle-income countries where abortion has been decriminalized, little research has been done into the question of how many women are unable to access abortion care because they present for treatment past the legal gestational age limit, and which factors might make late presentation more likely. A new study examines these questions and finds that […]
For more than a decade, Ipas has conducted workshops around the world to encourage health providers, policymakers and others to reflect on their values and attitudes toward abortion and consider the consequences when safe abortion services are not available to women. These “values clarification and attitude transformation” (VCAT) workshops encourage participants to explore their assumptions […]