World's Abortion Day

International Day for Decriminalization of Abortion was originally a regional campaign taking its roots in Latin America and the Caribbean around the year 1984. The aim of the campaign was to force the governments to decriminalize abortion in order to make safe and legal abortion accessible to all women.

On September 28, 2011, WGNRR (Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights), which has a consultative status with United Nations (ECOSOC), took the campaign to a global level in recognition of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and also to show solidarity with women’s movement in Latin America and the Caribbean.

There is a long history of struggle that went into securing safe and legal abortions accessible to women in the Western World. When abortion was illegal, women had to go through unsafe channels to terminate pregnancy which often resulted in their deaths.

Illegal abortions meant a total absence of post-abortion care. Those prohibitions not only put women’s physical health at risk, but they often faced severe degrees of Post-abortion Syndrome which was intensified because of the social stigma attached to abortion.

However, situation has not changed much in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to most recent survey, in Latin America and the Caribbean, unsafe abortions caused at least 10% of total maternal deaths every year. And a large number of women, around 760,000, are treated annually for the severe complications resulting from the unavailability of safe and legal abortions.

Only four countries in the region, which include Cuba, Guyana, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, have legalized abortions without any restrictions as to the reason. Rest of the countries has abortion laws which allow abortions only under certain circumstances.

These laws instead of facilitating women and monitoring the rate of abortions only make the process even more complicated. As a result, women are forced to resort to illegal channels rather than going through the toil of legal abortions. The consequences are an increased rate of maternal morbidity and immortality, and post abortion complications in less severe situations.

This is not just the condition of women living in Latin America and the Caribbean. A large population of women across the globe is still denied the right to safe and legal abortion. It is a violation of their fundamental human rights to life, health, reproduction and bodily autonomy.

28th September International Action Day for Decriminalization of abortion is the day we join hands and take action to show solidarity to women who still suffer from unjust and inhuman abortion laws. Young girls and women from underprivileged privileged backgrounds are the ones who have to pay the highest price under such laws.

Governments should make safe and legal abortion accessible to all women without any discrimination, torture and social stigma. Without the decriminalization of abortion, human rights cannot become a reality for the women worldwide.