On 28 September, the Reproductive Health Training Centre invites you to join the International Campaign on Women’s Safe Abortion Rights.

September 28, the Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion originated in Latin America and the Caribbean, where various local women’s organizations have campaigned for the past two decades to demand that local governments should decriminalize abortion, ensure access to safe, affordable abortion services, and eliminate stigma and discrimination against women who choose to terminate pregnancies.

The original name of the campaign in Latin America and the Caribbean was “September 28 – Campaign for the Decriminalization of Abortion”, (“Campaña 28 de Septiembre por la Despenalización del Aborto”), which continues today, gaining strength and commitment from women’s rights activists in the region. The date – 28 September – was chosen to commemorate the abolition of slavery in Brazil and is now remembered as a “free uterus” day, a day on which activists highlight the need to ensure safe and legal abortions for all women.

In 2011, the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) made September 28 a global awareness day in solidarity with the women’s movement in Latin America and in recognition of the fact that access to safe and legal abortion is still denied to too many women in too many countries. In most African countries, abortion is either banned outright or allowed only to save the life of the mother. Abortion is legal in some Asian countries, but remains highly restricted in most, and even when it is legal, women face high costs and lack of access to adequate abortion services. A number of European countries and, increasingly, the US are under vehement attack from opposition parties seeking to limit women’s reproductive freedom by imposing legal and financial restrictions, increasing stigma and discrimination and further impeding access to abortion. All of the above factors are serious obstacles to women’s full enjoyment of their human rights.

Sub-theme: Young People’s Leadership in Abortion Justice

This year, 2023, this Global Campaign highlights in particular how young people are an unstoppable force, taking the leadership of the movement. This year, we are proud of those young people and how they are fearlessly occupying and creating spaces and using innovative advocacy strategies to support safe abortion rights and reproductive justice. Young people bring fresh perspectives, creative ideas and a strong desire for change. Their active engagement and valuable contributions are indispensable to making progress towards our common goal. The leadership of young women, trans, non-binary and gender diverse people in the movement for safe abortion rights is not only inspirational, but essential.

In this way, RHTC is joining with them in calling for the support and empowerment of young leaders through equal access to opportunities, resources and platforms that promote and contribute to a common mission.

From 18 September until 28 September, RHTC encourages you to be part of the 28 September International Safe Abortion Day campaign!

We encourage you to share the images in the toolkit provided by the organisers, using the hashtags: #InternationalSafeAbortionDay #AbortionSolidarity #Sept28 #UnstoppableMovement

It is also welcomed to use the motivational messages supporting this international campaign:

1. “This year, on #Sept28, join our #UnstoppableMovement to demand safe access to abortion worldwide! 💚 Check out the #AbortionSolidarity call to action: september28.org “
2. “On September 28, I join activists around the world marking #InternationalSafeAbortionDay to demand safe, accessible, legal and stigma-free abortion rights worldwide 💚 #AbortionSolidarity #Sept28 “
3. “#AbortionSolidarity is the driving force behind our #UnstoppableMovement to demand safe abortions worldwide. Join us! #Sept28 #InternationalSafeAbortionDay #InternationalSafeAbortionDay “
4. “Every year on September 28 – #InternationalSafeAbortionDay, activists around the world take action and speak out for the right to safe abortion.Take a stand for #AbortionSolidarity and join our #UnstoppableMovement 💚. “

In this year, activists for reproductive justice are focusing on actively promoting these goals:

• Decriminalize abortion now! Abortion belongs under health policy, not the criminal code. No one should be imprisoned for having an abortion or providing a safe abortion to someone who needs it.
• Expand access to safe abortions by removing all policy barriers to abortion care and management, expanding legal grounds, increasing upper time limits and removing third party approval.
• Mobilize the resources to support and protect safe abortion access. Open funding to organizations and networks working on abortion justice and bodily autonomy.
• Ensure access to and availability of post-abortion care, including on a community level by trained midwives and through community health facilities. Ensure the availability of manual vacuum aspiration for emergency cases.
• Empower, support, and protect abortion care providers, doulas and acompañantes.
• Implement comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and youth-friendly abortion services with principles on consent, bodily autonomy, pleasure and human rights. Ensure that CSE curricula deliver evidence-based and rights-based information on abortion.
• Include medical abortion pills on national essential medicines lists and ensure accessibility of medical abortion pills and management.
• Implement and ensure access to abortion care through telehealth services and self-managed abortions.
• Establish accessible and inclusive abortion care systems for all women, girls, transmen and all gender-diverse people who may need an abortion.
• Stop the attacks on reproductive justice activists! Guarantee that they can carry out their work without fear, violations on their human rights, criminalization, and all forms of violence and harassment.

It’s time for the global movement for sexual and reproductive rights for all women to unite and make one clear demand – access to affordable, safe and legal abortion now!

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SOURCE: LINK.