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The Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom has announced it will fund a three-year research partnership to explore ways to improve adolescent access to contraception and safe abortion in Malawi, Zambia and Ethiopia. The partnership brings together Ipas, the London School of Economics, the African Institute for Development Policy, the University of Zambia and […]
On Oct. 26, Ipas Central America and its partners in the region marked 10 years since Nicaragua’s government enacted a total abortion ban, endangering the lives of women and girls and forcing those with unwanted pregnancies to carry them to term against their will or seek clandestine and often unsafe abortions. In Nicaragua’s capital, Managua, […]
New study points to ‘tremendous opportunity’ to improve uptake Many women seeking abortion care leave health facilities without getting contraceptive counseling or a method choice, increasing their risk of future unintended pregnancy. A new, large-scale study by Ipas finds that offering women contraceptive counseling and a choice of methods at the time of abortion can […]
On August 8th, the parliament of Nepal voted to approve its FY17 budget, which for the first time includes funding for safe abortion care. The funding ensures implementation of a key provision of a 2009 court decision guaranteeing access to services for all women of Nepal. “This budget allocation represents a significant step forward in […]
Where everyone finds safe, respectful health care What do you call a private space staffed by dedicated young volunteers where youth can come for counseling and referrals for sexual and reproductive health services, including safe abortion? A “youth-friendly corner,” naturally. And within clinics across Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, these specially tailored spaces are making a real […]
In Zambia, young people work to end unsafe abortion Nana Zulu is Ipas Zambia’s youth advisor and a longtime advocate for sexual and reproductive rights. At age 26, Nana was hired by Ipas to develop our Zambia youth program. Most of the time we look at young people as recipients of information and services, but […]
Drawn by the sound of traditional drumming, a crowd has gathered on a sunny morning in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, to watch young performers dance and sing energetically. The dancing then gives way to a skit in which a charismatic male character courts one girlfriend, and then a second. The actors are masters of comedy (indeed, […]
A group of reproductive health experts has recommended that the World Health Organization (WHO) update the way it defines and measures “unsafe” abortion. Since the 1990s, WHO has defined unsafe abortion as those performed either by individuals lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both. […]
Interview: Domestic provider, international perspective The U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a Texas law placing undue requirements on abortion clinics is a significant victory not only for women in the United States, but for women around the world. It highlights both the importance of women’s access to abortion and the clear evidence that abortion […]
World Refugee Day, observed on June 20 each year, was established by the United Nations more than 15 years ago to call attention to the plight of millions of people worldwide who live in refugee camps and other crisis settings, driven from their homes by conflict, natural disaster and other violent events. For women and […]
New research from South Africa suggests that women can use mobile devices, such as phones or tablets, to accurately assess their eligibility for medical abortion via an online gestational age calculator. Findings from the Ipas-funded research project were recently published in the journal Reproductive Health. Led by principal investigator Dr. Jane Harries at the University […]
“I followed my heart and my doctor’s advice for my survival,” said Marina Leite after having an abortion in Brazil, a country where abortion, in most circumstances, is regarded as a criminal act. Leite’s abortion, however, was legal and safe because her pregnancy was life-threatening. She was 28 weeks pregnant and was carrying an abnormal […]
Police officers can be important allies in efforts to improve women’s access to safe abortion care. Ipas has worked with police in Ghana and other countries since 2009, and in the newly published manual, A Practical Guide for Partnering with Police to Improve Abortion Access, shares lessons and guidance based on that experience. “Even in […]
Ipas Bolivia has launched a new initiative to increase women’s access to safe, legal abortion services in the public health system—an important step forward just two years after Bolivia’s highest court ruled to end a requirement for judicial authorization for women seeking legal abortions. In partnership with Bolivia’s Ministry of Justice, Ipas will train law […]
The Inter-American Dialogue, a leading U.S. and foreign policy think tank, this week brought together Ipas and partners to raise awareness of a persistent human rights concern: Across Latin America, laws that make abortion a crime are violating women’s basic human rights. According to new research, laws in the region increasingly require or encourage health […]
With a new report concluding there is “a vast unmet need” for safe, induced abortion care in francophone West Africa, Ipas is stepping up work with national and international partners to expand comprehensive abortion care (CAC) service delivery and access in the region. According to the report, Comprehensive Abortion Care Needs and Opportunities in Francophone […]
At a time when the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging an expansion of health worker roles in the provision of abortion care, a new study from Ipas finds that a program in Nepal to train auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) in medical abortion provision has proved highly successful, even in the country’s remote, primary-level health […]
Ipas and Ibis Reproductive Health have published the first inclusive report on how the Helms and Hyde Amendments limit women’s access to abortion both in the United States and abroad. The report highlights the ways in which the Amendments violate human rights, impose barriers on access to safe abortion for women and young women, tie […]
Cecilia Espinoza, Ipas youth senior advisor, explains why the right to safe abortion—including for young women—is vital to achieving the new global development goals From March 14-24, world leaders and advocates for women’s rights from around the world will be in New York attending the United Nations’ sixtieth session of the Commission on the Status […]