It has been just over four months since the U.S Supreme Court made the shocking decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — the 1973 law that guaranteed the constitutional protection of abortion rights across the United States. While it was no secret that women's rights in the “land of the free” have been under constant attack, the outrage, fear, disgust, and disbelief are palpable. What had historically been the most trusted court in the U.S. robbed millions of their fundamental rights, freedom, and bodily autonomy, forcing women, girls, and pregnant people to carry pregnancies to term and denying them essential and life-saving health care. Most abortions are banned in at least 14 U.S. states, with one in three women between the ages of 15 and 44 — a staggering 20.9 million — having lost access. Providers must now contend with rapidly changing, intentionally vague legislation as we learn in real time what it means for the millions who still need urgent abortion care. Women have suffered life-threatening and life-changing health consequences after waiting days for an emergency abortion, including hemorrhaging, sepsis, and hysterectomies. Others face the mental anguish of having their most intimate decisions decided by the state, with "young women today coming of age with fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers.” Unfair and reckless policies only encourage other extremists, and we are already seeing the chilling effect of reversing Roe play out globally. The day after Roe was overturned, a representative in the Puerto Rican legislature introduced a bill punishing "the crime of abortion" with 99 years in jail. While the bill was withdrawn and abortion remains legal, it signifies the growing interest of fundamentalist policymakers to hinder abortion access globally, spurred on by the loss of rights in the U.S. In Nairobi, Kenya, where activists are making incremental progress liberalizing the restrictive colonial abortion laws which kill an estimated 2500 women and girls each year, colleagues from the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa region tell us that the anti-choice opposition post-Roe is relentless, with abortion rights wins immediately contested and dragged back into court before there is a chance to implement them. This includes the 2022 ruling by the Kenyan Supreme Court, which affirmed abortion as a constitutional right. Meanwhile, in India, which just recently made history for giving all women in the country equal rights to safe abortion care, we have seen church-sponsored anti-choice movements spring up in response to Roe, now filing a case in the Indian Supreme Court in an attempt to repeal the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act — the legal basis that gives Indian women the right to an abortion. And this September, Hungary also modified its abortion law, forcing pregnant people to listen to embryonic cardiac activity before allowing them to receive abortion care. A tactic lifted straight from Texas' medically inaccurate "heartbeat bill", and one pushed through without expert or public consultation.   Looking at the bigger picture, we see ultraconservative far-right movements gaining ground, spurred on by anti-women, anti-gender equality, and anti-LGBTQI+ extremists seeking to deny people their freedoms. The calculated yet insidious global shift toward extremist populist sentiment is precisely the environment anti-abortion lawmakers have worked for decades to create — and Roe's reversal has set a dangerous precedent for disregarding abortion access in the pursuit of power and fundamentalist principles. But when we face darkness, we must turn to the light, and while we grapple with providing abortion care in uncertain times, the overturning of Roe serves as an important reminder that while, historically, the global agenda on abortion rights has been set by nations in the global north, what we once held in high regard is not necessarily the right or only choice. At IPPF, we won’t let the anti-choice opposition define us, and are instead choosing to spotlight nations paving the way for human rights, like Colombia, which in response to Green Wave feminist activism in Latin America, decriminalized abortion in a historic move earlier this year. And which post-Roe withdrew as a signatory to the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a global anti-abortion statement introduced by the U.S. Trump-Pence administration.  Or Thailand, which three weeks ago legalized abortions up to 20 weeks, reflecting the progress of medical experts and pro-choice activists in a country that two years ago criminalized abortion. Now more than ever, we must strengthen progressive social movements, using solidarity to reinforce our commitment to safe abortion care for all. We must bring people together in their millions to fight for fundamental human rights, like at the 2022 International Conference of Family Planning in Thailand this week, which will place access to abortion at the heart of the movement for the first time since its inception. By creating networks, collectives, and communities of supporters worldwide, we can ensure access to #SafeAbortionRegardless. Through safe medical abortion pills and supporting and accompanying women to travel for care, we can ensure that people experience unwavering support while making their own reproductive decisions like we have seen on the U.S-Mexico border since the reversal of Roe. Using strength in numbers and medical expertise, we will continue to advocate for unhindered access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care. Solidifying relationships and abortion legislation with supportive policymakers and uniting against those who put personal belief ahead of health, choice, and international human rights law. A sentiment reflected in the recent U.S midterm elections after people in Kentucky, Montana, Michigan, Vermont, and California decisively voted to maintain control over their bodies, lives and futures, supported by our relentless partner Planned Parenthood Action Fund. The impact of reversing Roe will take decades to undo. Still, the commitment of pro-choice advocates burns more fiercely than ever — and with people's health, lives, and futures on the line, the fight for sexual and reproductive rights will not stop until everyone, everywhere, can access safe abortion care. 

This year’s 16 Days of Activism campaign continues to highlight femicide - the urgent but hidden global crisis of the gender-related killing of women and girls.   While violence against women, and femicide in particular, is most often associated with individual acts of abuse and violence where the perpetrator is an intimate partner, or sometimes a family member, not all forms of femicide are the result of interpersonal violence. Still rooted in gender inequality and misogyny, forms of femicide that are caused by laws and other societal structures are just as harmful and just as pervasive. An example of this is the denial of access to safe abortion care.     Forced pregnancies put lives at risk Every day, lawmakers, politicians, bureaucrats, and others in positions of power make conscious decisions to deny women control over their bodies and place them in danger - constituting a form of State violence against women. 41 percent of women live in countries with restrictive abortion laws – that translates into 700 million women of reproductive age deprived of their bodily autonomy. Unable to access safe and legal abortion care, women and others who can get pregnant are forced to continue pregnancies against their will or seek an abortion outside of the formal health system, sometimes at the risk of losing their lives.  While self-managed abortion using medical abortion pills has improved abortion safety for millions of women living in countries that deny legal access to care, access to these pills and information on their use is not readily available in many settings and the use of unsafe methods is still common. Worldwide, approximately 8 million unsafe abortions are carried out using the most dangerous methods each year (think drinking bleach and inserting foreign objects into the uterus). This results in serious harm to women and girls, contributing to up to 13.2% of maternal deaths globally.     Women who are coerced by the State into continuing an unwanted pregnancy against their will, similarly, have their lives put at risk. Pregnancy and childbirth are significantly more dangerous than abortion. One study in the United States found that women were about 14 times more likely to die during or after giving birth than to die from complications of a safe abortion.  Some countries’ abortion laws are so extreme that they can mean a death sentence for pregnant women who experience obstetric emergencies. One such case in Ireland, prior to 2019 abortion law reform, created public outrage in 2012, after Savita Halappanavar died of blood poisoning following a week spent in hospital being refused an abortion to end a pregnancy that threatened her life. More recently in Poland, at least six women have died as a direct result of the de facto abortion ban, in hospitals, at the hands of the State and health system that are supposed to take care of them.     Refusal of abortion care is State violence Like all forms of femicide, the deaths caused by denial of access to safe abortion are entirely preventable. The blame for this tragic loss of life lies firmly at the feet of the States which impose these harmful laws.   Beyond legal restrictions, by creating unnecessary policy barriers to access and failing to allocate adequate resources to abortion care, States and health bodies are not upholding their duty to provide equitable reproductive health care. Even in countries with progressive legal frameworks a lack of trained and willing health workers, inadequate supplies of quality medical abortion pills and equipment, use of non-evidence-based practices and the refusal to include information on abortion in public health campaigns are common – creating practical barriers which can be insurmountable, particularly for the least privileged, and amount to the denial of access to abortion care.     This refusal of abortion care and the active criminalization of those who seek it, or even those seeking care for a miscarriage or abnormal pregnancy, is a form of State violence against women and others who can get pregnant, and international human rights bodies agree. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women affirms that violations of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights including the denial or delay of safe abortion and post-abortion care may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. In a landmark ruling last year, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights established standards throughout the region to help protect women seeking abortion care after the Court deemed El Salvador responsible for the death of a woman, Manuela, following her unjust conviction after suffering a pregnancy loss.   Governments that deny and actively prevent access to abortion care are placing women in direct harm and putting their lives at risk. This all adds up to State sanctioned femicide and violence against women, perpetuated by misogyny and patriarchal systems that seek to control women.     Progress and setbacks on abortion care  As a civil society and feminist movement, IPPF and our partners are working hard to fight the gender inequality and misogyny at the root of all forms of violence against women, including the denial of abortion care. We see progress every day, from the expansion of self-managed medical abortion putting control directly in the hands of women, to the liberalization of abortion laws in countries from Benin to Argentina. But we also see major setbacks, with countries such as the United States and Poland legislating to deny women control over their own bodies and even healthcare for abnormal or risky pregnancies, and reminding us that we need to be louder, braver, and stronger than ever in our fight for the right to abortion.   During these 16 days of activism, we call on all governments to recognise denial of abortion care as a form of gender-based violence that can lead to femicide, to fully decriminalize abortion, and to guarantee universal access to abortion care. Our fight will continue to protect and stand-up for abortion rights, and to provide abortion care for all where States fail to do so. 

If you are covering the UK autumn budget and reporting on foreign aid, you may find the below statement from  the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) helpful: “The UK government has already decimated the aid budget and its reputation through severe economic mishandling, cutting billions from the very things that protect people during economic, political and social upheaval, including life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare. “It is also the only country to be spending the majority of its dedicated overseas aid budget within its own borders, taking advantage of legislation to pay for refugee and asylum costs in the UK rather than increasing domestic and overseas budgets accordingly. “The UK government cannot continue to fight the fire of one humanitarian crisis by diverting much-needed resources from other vulnerable people, nor continue to balance its books on the backs of the poorest people in the world - who, as MP Andrew Mitchell stated, will be damaged, maimed, or die as a result. “This government promised to give women and girls the freedom they need to succeed and prevent the worst forms of human suffering worldwide. If it is to deliver on its promises and revive its sunken reputation, it must spend dedicated budgets correctly, support people in the UK and beyond appropriately, and MP Andrew Mitchell and the Chancellor must ensure a return to the 0.7% as soon as possible.”  

Today, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is helping launch the second report of the High-Level Commission on the Nairobi Summit, also known as the International Conference on Population and Development 25 (ICPD 25). The Commission is an independent advisory board comprised of 26 members from different sectors tasked with monitoring progress on the ICPD Programme of Action and Nairobi Summit Commitments. The programme of action contains commitments from 179 countries to put the rights, needs and aspirations of individual human beings at the centre of sustainable development, part of which includes achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health for all. The report - ‘Sexual and reproductive justice as the vehicle to deliver the Nairobi Summit commitments’ - highlights sexual and reproductive justice as the key to the realization of the Nairobi Summit commitments. Sexual and reproductive justice is a universal concept. It includes the right to have or not have children, the right to parent one’s children in safe and sustainable environments, and the right to sexual autonomy and gender freedom. Monitoring the implementation of life-saving sexual and reproductive health and gender-responsive services is crucial to ensure accountability and human rights for all. However, while some progress has been made, many barriers persist, and millions worldwide still do not realize their sexual and reproductive rights. Progress on Nairobi Summit Commitments: Numerous country commitments made at the Nairobi Summit align with a sexual and reproductive justice framework. They pay explicit attention to marginalized and vulnerable populations, notably people with disabilities, refugees, migrants (particularly migrant women), young people and older persons. Indigenous peoples, people of African descent and other ethnic minority groups have received less attention. A slew of new reproductive rights legislation followed the Nairobi Summit, suggesting a basis for a sexual and reproductive justice framework. The high number of commitments prioritizing sexual and gender-based violence offers a powerful entry point for promoting sexual and reproductive justice. On the Summit’s Global Commitments, some improvement is evident in meeting unmet need for family planning. But no region has registered positive movement towards zero preventable maternal deaths. Greater access to family planning has yet to translate into better maternal health outcomes. There is some progress in offering comprehensive and age-responsive information and education on sexuality and reproduction and adolescent-friendly, comprehensive, quality and timely services. Certain regions and countries have advanced in providing timely, quality and disaggregated data. More must be done, but this creates opportunities for ensuring that data capture intersecting challenges and are used to inform laws, policies and programmes. Domestic and international finance is critical to sexual and reproductive justice but persistently lags commitments. More than 4 billion people globally will lack access to at least one key sexual and reproductive health service during their lives Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said:

Today, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is helping launch the second report of the High-Level Commission on the Nairobi Summit, also known as the International Conference on Population and Development 25 (ICPD 25). The Commission is an independent advisory board comprised of 26 members from different sectors tasked with monitoring progress on the ICPD Programme of Action and Nairobi Summit Commitments. The programme of action contains commitments from 179 countries to put the rights, needs and aspirations of individual human beings at the centre of sustainable development, part of which includes achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health for all. The report - ‘Sexual and reproductive justice as the vehicle to deliver the Nairobi Summit commitments’ - highlights sexual and reproductive justice as the key to the realization of the Nairobi Summit commitments. Sexual and reproductive justice is a universal concept. It includes the right to have or not have children, the right to parent one’s children in safe and sustainable environments, and the right to sexual autonomy and gender freedom. Monitoring the implementation of life-saving sexual and reproductive health and gender-responsive services is crucial to ensure accountability and human rights for all. However, while some progress has been made, many barriers persist, and millions worldwide still do not realize their sexual and reproductive rights. Progress on Nairobi Summit Commitments: Numerous country commitments made at the Nairobi Summit align with a sexual and reproductive justice framework. They pay explicit attention to marginalized and vulnerable populations, notably people with disabilities, refugees, migrants (particularly migrant women), young people and older persons. Indigenous peoples, people of African descent and other ethnic minority groups have received less attention. A slew of new reproductive rights legislation followed the Nairobi Summit, suggesting a basis for a sexual and reproductive justice framework. The high number of commitments prioritizing sexual and gender-based violence offers a powerful entry point for promoting sexual and reproductive justice. On the Summit’s Global Commitments, some improvement is evident in meeting unmet need for family planning. But no region has registered positive movement towards zero preventable maternal deaths. Greater access to family planning has yet to translate into better maternal health outcomes. There is some progress in offering comprehensive and age-responsive information and education on sexuality and reproduction and adolescent-friendly, comprehensive, quality and timely services. Certain regions and countries have advanced in providing timely, quality and disaggregated data. More must be done, but this creates opportunities for ensuring that data capture intersecting challenges and are used to inform laws, policies and programmes. Domestic and international finance is critical to sexual and reproductive justice but persistently lags commitments. More than 4 billion people globally will lack access to at least one key sexual and reproductive health service during their lives Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said: “Three years on from the Nairobi Summit and while we have seen some progress in sexual and reproductive health and rights across countries like Colombia, Mexico and Thailand, globally, we remain far from reaching the commitments made at ICPD 25 - that all women and girls will have autonomy over their bodies and lives through universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). “With the devasting loss of abortion rights across the U.S having a disproportionate impact on poor women and women of colour, ongoing humanitarian crises across countries like Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Ukraine creating unliveable, unsafe and unsustainable conditions for millions, and the loss of billions of dollars of funding severely affecting access to sexual and reproductive health care for those most in need, 2022 continues to demonstrate the critical need to champion sexual and reproductive justice for all - recognizing the importance of intersecting oppressions on people’s ability to make decisions about their bodies, lives and futures. “At the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), we remain dedicated to helping countries deliver on the Nairobi commitments as we approach ICPD 30. Using our unique position as a locally-owned, globally connected organization, we will continue to work in solidarity with donors, governments, partners and communities to ensure that everyone, everywhere, can access high-quality SRH care, especially those who are most often excluded, locked out and left behind. “IPPF also urges governments to heed the Commission’s call to action and do more to achieve sexual and reproductive justice. This means tackling the economic, social and legal barriers that prevent its implementation, more financial investment, including in universal healthcare, increased solidarity with partners and the sense of urgency needed to get the job done. The lives and futures of millions depend on it.” For media enquiries, please contact Karmen Ivey on [email protected] or [email protected]   About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.   For 70 years, IPPF, through its 108 Member Associations and seven partners, has delivered high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helped advance sexual rights, especially for people with intersectional and diverse needs that are currently unmet. Our Member Associations and partners are independent organizations that are locally owned, which means the support and care they provide is informed by local expertise and context. We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.

Three leading women’s rights defenders are facing eight years in prison in Poland for exercising their right to peaceful protest.  Prosecutors in Warsaw filed the indictment against Marta Lempart, Klementyna Suchanow and Agnieszka Czerederecka-Fabin of the All-Poland Women’s Strike (Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet, OSK), a partner of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, European Network, for allegedly organizing protests during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Massive protests were prompted back in October 2020 by the decision of the illegally appointed Constitutional Tribunal to impose a near-total ban on abortion care. Peaceful protesters were met with excessive force, with authorities using tear gas, pepper spray and physical assault. Now, two years on, women human rights defenders (WHRDs) are still being attacked by Polish authorities, with defenders facing violence from law enforcement and far-right groups, including bomb threats, as well as smear campaigns in state-controlled media, detention and excessive criminal charges orchestrated and encouraged by the government. In the case of the All-Poland’s women’s strike members, these charges include “causing an epidemiological threat”, endangering public health and publicly praising crimes.  The new indictment against the women’s rights defenders came just days before the second anniversary of the near-total ban on abortion, which has killed six women so far. It also comes in the same month that a court hearing was held in the trial of Justyna Wydrzyńska.  Justyna, a member of Abortion Without Borders and the Abortion Dream Team, is facing up to three years in prison for facilitating an abortion that didn’t happen. Her case marks the first in Europe where a WHRD is being prosecuted for helping ensure abortion care by providing abortion pills. Justyna’s trial is ongoing. Irene Donadio of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, European Network, said:  

The International Planned Parenthood Federation has redeveloped and relaunched its Medical Abortion Commodities Database. The updated site was designed to be more user-friendly with improved accessibility on both desktop and mobile devices. MedAb.org is the only public source of information on country-level availability of quality medical abortion commodities. Launched in September 2018, MedAb.org has filled a knowledge gap and has been a reliable source of information on availability of quality medical abortion products at country level for four years. The site currently contains product information for 102 countries, including 22 brands of misoprostol, 44 brands of mifepristone and 15 brands of combipacks. In 2021, site use grew significantly, with more than 30,000 active users, so IPPF undertook multiple analyses to understand more about these users. We redesigned the site to improve user experience for a broader range of user types, including researchers and academics. With more than half of site users identifying as individuals seeking abortion care, we improved signposting to trusted partners so they can access reliable and timely information. Catherine Kilfedder, IPPF’s Senior Programme Adviser, Abortion, said: “We needed to rebuild our site to improve technical functionality, but we saw an opportunity to simultaneously improve user experience. We embarked on a human-centred design project to understand our users and design a site to better meet their needs.”  Site use continues to grow, with more than 50,000 active users in the first eight months of 2022, and IPPF is thrilled to respond to this growing user base with a new and improved MedAb.org.

At the end of June, we heard the collective gasp of hundreds of millions of people around the world as news broke that the Conservative majority of the US Supreme Court had put their personal ideologies and beliefs before precedent and law. We knew the the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was coming, but to hear that it was official caused so much anger, shock, disbelief and disgust.  Although the anger is still there – and let’s be very clear that this anger needs to stay with us – let’s not lose sight of the fact that medical abortion has revolutionized abortion access and remains an option for many of those who have had their reproductive freedom stolen from them. The US has become a colour-coded map of states, showing where women’s reproductive freedoms are protected, where they are not, and where people can travel for in-person abortion care. But the reality is that for most, traveling hundreds of miles to another state is not an option. The majority of people in the US seeking abortion care are poor and simply can’t afford the travel costs and time away from work. Even with the welcome news from companies coming forward to pay for abortion-related travel costs, the reality is that most of those needing an abortion do not work for these companies.  While overturning Roe v. Wade has put the US back to a pre-1973 Square One for reproductive rights, it does not roll back the advancements made in abortion care in the years since Roe was first decided. We now have medical abortion – something that did not exist then. With these pills that can safely and effectively end a pregnancy, we no longer need to travel for in-clinic abortion care.   We know from years of research and evidence that self-managed medical abortion is a safe, effective and acceptable way to have an abortion, especially when people have accurate and clear information, such as the instructions in this video series, and access to support people of which there are many. Medical abortion can be done safely at home and is often a preferred method of abortion, even in places where abortion can be accessed in a clinic.    With a sea of misinformation out there, IPPF has pulled together some resources from trusted organizations and networks for people looking for abortion information, care, funding and legal advice. Resources are available for people around the world in general, and in the US in particular. There are excellent sites where people can find abortion pills online, find accurate information about medical abortion, receive care through telemedicine, and learn how to self-manage an abortion.  It’s unclear what is next for medical abortion in the US, and lawmakers in the prohibition states are already trying to limit people’s ability to have virtual abortion consultations or have pills delivered by mail. But what we do know is that medical abortion is a game changer in improving access to safe abortion, especially in countries where abortion is legally restricted.   It saddens and infuriates me to think about my friends and family in my home ‘trigger law’ state who no longer have the same reproductive rights as other Americans; as other humans. While medical abortion is not the only solution to this dystopian nightmare, it certainly has an important role to play.  We can and must spread the word about what resources and support are available to people seeking an abortion, and in the meantime, stay angry.  Main photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

The US Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade in the biggest blow to women's health and rights in recent US history, removing 50 years of constitutional protection for abortion across America, meaning individual states will now decide the legality of abortion within their jurisdiction. Twenty-six states, including Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia, are now poised to enact "trigger laws" that will severely limit or ban abortion, putting approximately 40 million women and girls of reproductive age at risk of losing abortion access, with lower-income people and people of color most severely affected.  The patchwork of state abortion bans means those without funds to travel for safe and legal abortion services or access medical abortion pills will be forced underground to unsafe and unregulated methods, with no guarantee of quality of care or aftercare if things go wrong. The devastating rollback of reproductive rights resulted from the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, a 2018 ruling that banned abortion in Mississippi after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Of the nine federal Supreme Court Justices, six voted to uphold the Mississippi law, effectively overturning Roe v. Wade, and three dissented. Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said: "The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is the biggest blow to women's health and rights in recent US history and an outrageous and devastating conclusion to what was already an unconstitutional removal of life-saving healthcare. "By continuing its unbridled attack on women's bodies and forcing them to carry pregnancies to term, the highest court in the land has reached its lowest point, robbing millions of their liberty, bodily autonomy and freedom – the very values the United States prides itself on. "We know for a fact that banning abortion does not mean fewer abortions and that when abortion bans are enacted, women and pregnant people die, as we have seen across the globe, most recently in Poland. We also know that those who cannot access safe abortion care legally, including medical abortion pills, will be forced into unregulated and unsafe methods, potentially resulting in serious harm or even death and costing lives for decades to come. "The fallout from this calculated decision will also reverberate worldwide, emboldening other anti-abortion, anti-woman and anti-gender movements and impacting other reproductive freedoms. The justices who put their personal beliefs ahead of American will, precedent, and law will soon have blood on their hands, and we are devastated for the millions of people who will suffer from this cruel judgment." The overturning of Roe v. Wade also flies in the face of democracy and against the values of those the Supreme Court is meant to represent and protect, with the majority (60%) of Americans supporting Roe v. Wade and 70% believing the decision to end a pregnancy is between a woman or pregnant person and their doctor. Elizabeth Schlachter, Director of Advocacy and US representative for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said: "The Supreme Court's perilous ruling is not just regressive but also wildly out of step with most Americans, who we know support access to abortion care. It is also at odds with much of the world, where access to abortion is expanding to reach all who need this vital health service. "By overriding the constitutional right to abortion across the US and handing the decision to each state, many parts of the US will now join El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Poland with some of the most restrictive, extremist, and life-threatening bans on abortion care in the world. "But this is not just about the anti-abortion movement in the US; this is concerted and calculated global effort by anti-women, anti-gender, anti-LGBTQI+ conservative and religious, white supremacist extremists, who are using dark money and undemocratic means to deny people their human right to healthcare, equality, bodily autonomy and ultimately, freedom. "With long-held rights under sustained attack, the International Planned Parenthood Federation is imploring governments across the globe to do more to protect democracy and peoples' freedoms from the interference and influence of these extremist groups." The International Planned Parenthood Federation's (IPPF) Member Association, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), continues to provide services to all who need them where legally possible, including via telemedicine for medical abortion pills. IPPF and PPFA will also continue to work around the clock to protect the rights of all people both in the US and globally, fighting extremism at its core and ensuring that women and pregnant people will not be forced to carry a pregnancy or give birth against their will. To help keep abortion legal, safe, and accessible, you can donate to the International Planned Parenthood Federation or Planned Parenthood Federation of America. For media enquiries, please contact Karmen Ivey on [email protected] or [email protected]   About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.   For over 65 years, IPPF, through its 118 Member Associations and 15 partners, has delivered high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helped advance sexual rights, especially for people with intersectional and diverse needs that are currently unmet. Our Member Associations and partners are independent organizations that are locally owned, which means the support and care they provide is informed by local expertise and context. We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.

Ensuring access to safe, quality abortion is an imperative. Abortion is recognised as essential health care that must be provided by governments. Access to safe abortion is also a human right. Attacks against reproductive freedom are attacks on democracy and international human rights standards, on individual freedoms and the right to privacy, and they set back progress towards gender equality.   The United States Supreme Court decision to dismantle Roe v Wade and roll back 50 years of access to safe abortion care is a catastrophic blow to the lives of millions of women, girls and pregnant people who now face the prospect of being forced to continue pregnancies. It is a decision that will cost lives for years to come. The US joins just a handful of countries that have actively reduced access to abortion care in recent years. This is out of step with the global community’s commitment to advance human rights and fails to take into account the overwhelming global medical evidence that supports abortion as essential health care.    Around the world, progress is being made to remove restrictions to care for example Latin America’s ‘green wave’ (Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile) in Africa (Benin, Mozambique, Kenya), Asia and the Pacific (Thailand, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand) and Europe (France, Ireland, England). Governments are responding to feminist grassroots movements and acting upon evidence-based findings and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines that draw on clinical and technological advancements, including telemedicine and self-management of abortion care, in order to guarantee their populations’ rights to essential health care.    As organizations dedicated to providing and supporting health care, we know that restrictive laws do not reduce the need for abortion care. Rather, such laws increase inequities in access; nurture an environment of fear, stigmatisation and criminalisation; and put women, girls and pregnant people at risk.  Abortion laws not based on scientific evidence harm health care workers. Countries with total bans or highly restrictive abortion law prevent and criminalise the provision of essential health care services and support to those that require abortion care. Many individuals supporting abortion care experience abuse, threats and even violence. In the United States, such incidents are commonplace and have even resulted in the murder of health care professionals. Further isolating these dedicated health care workers with restrictive laws will put them at even greater risk. Lack of access to safe abortion care is one of the leading causes of preventable maternal death and disability. Each year 47,000 women in the world die as a result of unsafe abortion  and an estimated five million are hospitalised for the treatment of serious complications such as bleeding or infection.   Supporting safe and high-quality abortion care is a demonstration of a government’s commitment to reproductive and social justice. Abortion care is an integral part of comprehensive health care provision – the need for this care will not go away. Limiting access to abortion care takes the greatest toll on the lives of women, girls and pregnant people; those living in poverty; those with marginalised racial, ethnic identities; adolescents; and those living in rural areas. A denial of abortion care further exacerbates their historical discrimination and mistreatment, and places them at the greatest risk of preventable maternal death and disability.  As national, regional and global health care organizations, we urge all governments to take immediate action to:  Create and protect legal and regulatory environments that support health care professionals to provide access to safe and affordable abortion care. Access to abortion care should be protected and supported as an inalienable reproductive right.  Decriminalise abortion care and regulate it like any other health care provision. Decriminalising abortion refers to the removal of specific criminal and/or civil sanctions against abortion from the law, so that no one is punished for having, providing or supporting access to abortion.  Utilise the full benefit of the safety and efficacy of abortion medication, as well as the advancement of technology, to allow telemedicine and self-management access to abortion, as recommended by the WHO Abortion Care Guideline. Invest in robust health systems that are human rights-centred for abortion care information, counselling and services. Prioritise training on abortion care as an essential part of professional development for health care professionals – integrate it into lifelong learning to ensure health services are universally available. Such approaches should be linked to reproductive and social justice movements, and should include actions that address the needs and rights of communities that have been historically discriminated against.  Want to take action? Endorse this global statement condemning the Roe v. Wade decision Main image by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash