Empowering women worldwide: A revolution in safe abortion care

28 September 2021
by Dr Manisha Kumar, head of MSF’s task force on safe abortion care

I became an abortion provider almost 10 years ago. Since then, I have helped countless people around the world access safe abortion care. I’ve also witnessed the devastating complications from unsafe abortion when people do not have access to this essential healthcare. Unsafe abortion is one of the main causes of maternal death and suffering worldwide, and the only one that is almost entirely preventable.

An abortion with pills is a game-changer. The simple regimen, taken over 24 hours, has the power to completely revolutionise access to safe abortion care, especially in low-resource and humanitarian settings, where MSF works. Used by millions of people for over 30 years, we have decades of research and experience showing how safe and effective abortion pills are.

Continued: https://www.msf.org/self-managed-abortion-pills-opens-access-millions-people

Women First Digital Launches World’s First Abortion Virtual Assistant, Ally, On WhatsApp For World Health Day

eHealth platform & social enterprise brings innovative reproductive health information and services to women around the world via new international toll-free number on WhatsApp

April 06, 2021

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE) - -Women First Digital (WFD), a collection of online platforms providing information and counseling services on safe abortion, contraception, and sexual and reproductive health, is launching a new WhatsApp bot extension for Ally, the world’s first ever abortion virtual assistant, in celebration of World Health Day’s 2021 theme: building a fairer, healthier world. WFD is empowering women worldwide to make informed decisions about their reproductive health with Ally’s new toll-free number 833-221-2559 (ALLY). Ally on WhatsApp will connect global users to accurate information on abortion care and services when they need it most.

Continued: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210406005710/en/Women-First-Digital-Launches-World%E2%80%99s-First-Abortion-Virtual-Assistant-Ally-On-WhatsApp-For-World-Health-Day

Proposed changes to US Global Gag Rule threaten wider harm to women

Interview, 28 September 2020
Médecins Sans Frontières

The United States policy known as the Global Gag Rule has had a devastating impact on women’s access to sexual and reproductive healthcare since it was reinstated and greatly expanded by the Trump Administration more than three and a half years ago. The policy – which already forces health providers to choose between providing information to patients or receiving US funding – is now set to be expanded even further. Dr Manisha Kumar, head of Médecins Sans Frontières' (MSF) task force on safe abortion care, explains the risks facing women and girls.

Continued: https://www.msf.org/proposed-changes-us-anti-abortion-rule-threaten-wider-harm-women

There’s a New Website That Teaches People How to Do Abortions

There's a New Website That Teaches People How to Do Abortions
A series of how-to videos shows providers how to do abortions with pills. But they can also help people who want to do it themselves.

by Marie Solis
Jan 28 2020

In the same amount of time it takes you to boil an egg, or answer an email, a new online video will show you how to end a pregnancy with pills.

Animated figures, accompanied by voice-over narration, take viewers through the process step by step: When to take the mifepristone, the first part of the two-part drug regimen for medication abortion; how long after that to take the misoprostol, how to place those pills under the tongue; and when to expect the cramping and bleeding, which signal that the passing of the pregnancy has begun. The 11-minute video also provides instructions on how to relieve pain or discomfort, and when to seek medical help. At the very beginning, it tells viewers how safe and effective this abortion method is, and how low the rate of complication.

Continued: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4ag3wn/how-to-videos-abortion-with-pills-mifeprstone-misoprostol-doctors-without-borders

Safe abortion access for all who need it

Safe abortion access for all who need it
MSF and HowToUseAbortionPill.org have created an online training course

Jan 23, 2020
Doctors Without Borders

Talking about abortion is not a crime. These days, however, health care providers and humanitarian workers who receive US funding overseas risk being shut down if they do just that.

The Global Gag Rule—which President Donald Trump reinstated and expanded on January 23, 2017—prohibits doctors, nurses, and other health workers around the world from even speaking about abortion. If they do, they could lose their US government funding. Health workers are relied upon to provide thorough, evidence-based medical information, and now they’ve been silenced in the places where that information is needed the most.

Continued: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/news-stories/story/safe-abortion-access-all-who-need-it

How abortion stigma is exposing medical students to risky behaviors in Uganda

How abortion stigma is exposing medical students to risky behaviors in Uganda

20th April, 2018

Sex is a reality, and we are proud to be sex-positive. As long as people are engaging in consensual experiences, safe2choose encourages and supports it. We do so by sharing accurate and stigma-free information, as well as facilitating access to safe abortion methods.

True autonomy comes with deep understanding of your options, your risks and your benefits. Therefore, one can never be autonomous without education on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Sadly, that’s exactly what we have witnessed among medical students from Uganda.

Continued: https://safe2choose.org/medical-students-uganda-abortion-stigma/