“Access to abortion is a human rights issue” says UN SR on Right To Health

By Shobha Shukla
MON, 08 SEP 2025

“Sexual and reproductive health rights are in integral element of the right to health. Yet we know when we are speaking specifically about abortion care, that obstacles exist. They are interrelated and entrenched and operate at different levels in clinical care, at the level of health systems and in the underlying determinants of health. Abortion is health care. Access to abortion is a human rights issue. Full stop.” These are the words of Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Right to Health, who gave an opening address at SHE & Rights Anniversary Special session ahead of 80^th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Contraception Day (26 September) and Safe Abortion Day (28 September).

Continued: https://www.modernghana.com/news/1430575/access-to-abortion-is-a-human-rights-issue-says.html

Philippines – WGNRR calls for urgent passage of prevention of adolescent pregnancy bill

January 20, 2025

The Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) and partners stand in strong solidarity with advocates, civil society organizations, stakeholders, and policymakers in the Philippines in supporting the passage of Senate Bill No. 1979, also known as the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill (PAP Bill).

We are deeply concerned that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has announced his intention to veto Senate Bill 1979 in ‘its current form,’ just days after emphasizing that ‘the teaching of sex education in our schools is very, very, very important.’ This contradiction to his position is disheartening, especially given the severity of the adolescent pregnancy crisis in the Philippines. Moreover, it is alarming that his decision seems to have been influenced by the spread of misinformation and disinformation about the bill.

Continued: https://wgnrr.org/wgnrr-calls-for-urgent-passage-of-prevention-of-adolescent-pregnancy-bill/

Trump’s Return Invigorates Global Anti-Abortion Drive

Not everything termed ‘Geneva’ advances human rights

Jan 06, 2025
Asia Sentinel

The global movement to undermine and restrict access to safe abortion, which went relatively dormant during the Biden interregnum that began in 2020, looks likely to return along with Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency. Although the returning president shied away from the anti-abortion crusade as a political liability during his 2024 campaign and may well remain silent domestically, internationally it is likely to return in the form of the regressive Geneva Consensus Declaration.

The Declaration was introduced two weeks before Trump left office in 2020 by his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and adopted by 39 countries under the pretext of “promoting women’s health and strengthening the family.” The Biden administration immediately took the US out of the Declaration upon taking office. Having frustrated the anti-abortion forces in the US during his campaign, Trump is likely to make up to them on the international front, according to the medical anthropologist Lynn Morgan in a telephone conversation from Mount Holyoke College, a private women's liberal arts school in Massachusetts.

Continued: https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/trump-return-invigorate-global-anti-abortion-drive

Experts decry high rate of deaths, injuries from unsafe abortions

By Ojoma Akor
Tue, 5 Nov 2024

Experts in sexual and reproductive health have harped on the need for increased efforts from government and other stakeholders towards tackling the burden of unsafe termination of pregnancies.

They made the call during a media briefing and launch of SHE & Rights Media Initiative [Sexual Health with Equity(SHE) and Rights initiative] in the lead up to Safe Abortion Day 2024.

Continued: https://dailytrust.com/experts-decry-high-rate-of-deaths-injuries-from-unsafe-abortions/

‘It’s needless death’: Ugandan activists decry restrictive abortion laws

Abortion is generally illegal in Uganda, and fear of imprisonment leads many to resort to extreme and unsafe practices.

By Sophie Neiman
Published On 28 Sep 2024

Kampala, Uganda – At exactly 3:21pm on August 25, Moses Odongo received a call informing him that his 14-year-old cousin Christine had died attempting to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

Odongo, who is 40, had just returned home and was sitting down for a drink and a bite to eat. His grief at her untimely death quickly mixed with anger at Uganda’s restrictive abortion laws and conservative culture, which he believes killed her.

Continued: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/9/28/its-needless-death-ugandan-activists-decry-restrictive-abortion-laws

Oxfam Supports Reproductive Rights for Women Around the World

March 23, 2023
Marevic Parcon and Melissa Fuller

Oxfam is dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by people in the Philippines and Canada to access reproductive health services.

The Oxfam Confederation is networked in 87 countries as part of a global movement for change. Its mission is to build lasting solutions to poverty and injustice, focusing on improving lives and promoting women’s and girls’ rights. Reproductive justice is a particular area of focus for the organization.

Continued: https://www.healthinsight.ca/wellness/sexual-health/oxfam-supports-reproductive-rights-for-women-around-the-world/

23.03.2023

Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network

Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights

Philippines: Rights groups fear rollback of reproductive care
Many fear that the US move to overturn Roe v. Wade could curb tenuous rights gains in the Philippines. Abortion policies in the country are some of the most restrictive in the world.

Aug 11, 2022
Ana P. Santos

Women's rights advocates in the Philippines fear that the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States could also reverse precarious gains in reproductive and sexual health rights in the Southeast Asian country. The US ruling, which was made in 1973 and overturned in June, guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion.

Many believe that the United States' approach to reproductive health care could set the stage for the Philippines.

Continued: https://www.dw.com/en/philippines-rights-groups-fear-rollback-of-reproductive-care/a-62781467

Philippines – Women’s rights orgs urge authorities to decriminalize abortion

By KAELA MALIG, GMA News
Published May 25, 2021

Women's rights organizations urged legislators to decriminalize abortion as women continue to die from unsafe abortion complications.

In a media workshop on Tuesday, EnGendeRights executive director Atty. Claire Padilla said that the restrictive 1930 Revised Penal Code abortion law has not stopped the number of women from inducing abortion but has only endangered lives of hundreds of women who undergo unsafe abortions due to several personal reasons.

Continued: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/788842/women-s-rights-orgs-urge-authorities-to-decriminalize-abortion/story/

Women's rights orgs urge authorities to decriminalize abortion

By KAELA MALIG, GMA News
Published May 25, 2021

Women's rights organizations urged legislators to decriminalize abortion as women continue to die from unsafe abortion complications.

Continued: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/788842/women-s-rights-orgs-urge-authorities-to-decriminalize-abortion/story/

25.05.2021

Events/Campaigns

News

1930 Revised Penal Code

Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights

‘Pasya’ album destigmatising abortion in the Philippines features BP Valenzuela, members of The Buildings, Flying Ipis and more

NME talks to artists and organisers behind the eclectic compilation, which is out today

By Michael Beltran
30th April 2021

A number of Philippines artists, including BP Valenzuela and Aly Cabral of The Buildings, have joined forces on ‘Pasya’, a compilation advocating the destigmatisation and decriminalisation of abortion in the country.

Digitally released today (April 30), the 12-track album – whose title means ‘choice’ – is also a collaboration between several pro-choice and advocacy groups: It was spearheaded by the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) and is a collaboration with the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN) and Filipino Freethinkers, with support from Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) and Abortion Conversation Projects (ACP).

Continued: https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/pasya-album-destigmatising-abortion-in-the-philippines-features-bp-valenzuela-members-of-the-buildings-flying-ipis-and-more-2931054

Philippines – This music album presents tales about abortion we need to understand

Because unsafe abortion is an issue of public health, human rights, and social justice

Published April 16, 2021
by John Legaspi

Humanity has been making things taboo for a handful of reasons. Often, these are things they don’t know much about. Sometimes, they do know some things about it but reject further information. In other cases, they are given unfair images about the subject. In the case of abortion, unfortunately, it ticks all the boxes.

In the past, we rarely saw good materials about abortion. People who try to speak about it are always met with judging eyes. But thanks to modern media and art, discussions about abortion have once again arisen. Who could forget about that abortion episode in “Sex Education” or that 2020 art exhibit “Abortion is Normal” in the US? Organizations like Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) and Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN) has been doing the same thing in the Philippines, particularly, in advocating for safe abortion.

Continued: https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/16/this-music-album-presents-tales-about-abortion-we-need-to-understand/