The Africa Regional Conference on Abortion: From Research to Policy Conference Declaration

Guttmacher Institute, International (Ethiopia), Dec 15, 2016

During the last decade, women in Africa have made progress in achieving greater gender equality, financial security and access to health care. Women have assumed positions of leadership and governance in international forums, national offices and at community levels. Young African women and men have grown more vocal in their support for women’s equality.

But throughout the region, women and girls are still denied the ability to control their reproductive lives. In many places, reproductive health care, including safe abortion care, is inaccessible—particularly for young, rural, poor, displaced and uneducated women—for a variety of reasons including legal restrictions, cost and cultural stigma. This stigma extends to health care providers who may not provide abortion care as a result.

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Source: Guttmacher Institute