International Safe Abortion Day: 'Safe abortion is essential healthcare'

The 28th of September 2020 is International Safe Abortion Day, which has been celebrated annually since 1990 by supporters of the right to safe abortion and a wide range of women’s rights groups, health professionals, policymakers, human rights groups, and many others in as many as 60 countries around the world.

Increasingly, national and international leaders acknowledge the significance of the day. The media have also increasingly reported national, regional and international events taking place – from demonstrations and rallies, to public meetings and much more.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate that most activities will be virtual this year and take place online in many forms – social media posts, tweetathons, videos, podcasts, and above all, webinars, online discussions and statements.

Yesterday, on 23 September, the Campaign held a webinar entitled “Telemedicine, self-managed abortion and access to abortion in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Speakers from Canada, Colombia, India, Kenya, Moldova and the Netherlands described how both the experience of having an abortion and abortion services themselves are being transformed, not just by the pandemic but also by telemedicine and the sharing of information about the safe use of medical abortion pills.

The fact of not being able to leave home or find an open clinic has meant looking for help elsewhere; using abortion pills at home has in many cases been the only alternative to an unsafe abortion. The webinar will be on our website within a few days; please report it!

Safe abortion is essential healthcare.

This year, our themes are “Safe abortion is essential healthcare”, “Universal access to safe abortion”, and “Telemedicine and self-managed abortion” in the context of COVID-19.

The Campaign’s statement outlines why essential healthcare cannot also be legally restricted. The pandemic notwithstanding, almost all national laws and policies on abortion are outdated – they are leftovers from both the 19th and 20th centuries.

We also point out that the first law making abortions legal was passed in the Soviet Union 100 years ago, and that it is time for other countries to follow suit. We call for universal access to safe abortion to be guaranteed by every State as part of their commitment to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care as an issue of social justice, and the right to decide whether and when to have children.