Dr. Deeb Shrestha Dango, a dedicated OB-GYN and head of health systems and policy for Ipas Nepal, has stood at the forefront of this transformation. Navigating a shifting landscape of abortion rights and stigma, she has fought to expand abortion access in Nepal for over twenty years.
In a landmark development for the Eastern and Southern African region, parliamentarians from diverse backgrounds and countries have united under the banner of the Eastern and Southern Africa Parliamentary Caucus on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (ESAParc).
In the nearly two years since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion in the United States, the abortion landscape has become fragmented and increasingly polarized. In more than half of the 50 U.S. states, abortion is now completely banned, heavily restricted or under legal threat.
In Nigeria, getting a safe abortion is already an uphill battle. But for women with disabilities, it can be nearly impossible. With support from the Ipas Collaborative Fund, the locally based SAIF Advocacy Foundation is paving the way to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, can access the quality abortion care they have a right to.
In the wake of a destructive 6.4 magnitude earthquake in western Nepal in November, pregnant women and new mothers are struggling for survival without proper shelter and health care. Knowing that essential reproductive health care is often impossible to access in crisis settings, Ipas Nepal is rolling out a multifaceted response.
No matter the cause, humanitarian crises often mean an increase in sexual and reproductive health needs—yet access to safe abortion remains one of the most forgotten of those needs. Ipas Democratic Republic of Congo is making sure that access to abortion is included in humanitarian aid response to the devastating armed conflict in North Kivu.
The United States is violating human rights by denying legal access to abortion—and should take immediate action to end the criminalization of abortion at the federal, state and local levels. This is the newly released conclusion of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in response to testimony from Ipas and partners in October.