Tomorrow, January 22nd, is the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the court case that made abortion legal in the United States. Abortion is legal in some form in the majority of countries around the world, but in many places it remains severely restricted. Even in the places where the law allows women to legally access abortion, the services aren’t always safe and accessible. In India, where abortion has been legal since 1971, access to safe abortion is very limited. In rural and poverty-stricken areas of the country, people rely on public health care facilities called Primary Health Centers. In India, rates for maternal mortality are highest among poor rural women. India has the largest number of deaths from unsafe abortions in the world. Watch our video below to learn about one woman’s story and the impact of unsafe abortion.
This video shows why it is important, even in places where abortion is legal like India and the United States, to continue to push for better care. It is important to hold governments accountable for upholding the human rights of women by providing life-saving services like safe abortion.
For a domestic celebration of Roe v. Wade, it’s well worth checking out the feature that our colleagues the Center for Reproductive Rights put together, which highlights the voices of their board and staff, abortion providers, journalists, and activists in the reproductive justice world to find out why Roe is important to them. The perspective of our very own Lori Adelman is included.
In non-Roe news this week:
- Our partner CREA is preparing to hold their fifth annual Sexuality, Gender and Rights Institute , which takes place in Istanbul for a full week in June. Click here to learn more and apply.
- Madeleine Bunting has an interesting piece in the Guardian about Hillary Rodham Clinton and her push to focus on women and girls in foreign aid and policy.
And here on Akimbo:
{ 0 comments… add one now }