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Despite significant progress in recent years, too many people all over the world still face obstacles in accessing abortion care.
At MSI Reproductive Choices we are committed to every woman’s right to abortion.
But what makes abortion a right worth fighting for? And what are the barriers we need to tackle to make safe abortion services a reality for everyone?
Too many women are still denied their right to determine their own future.
Abortion is a very safe and simple medical procedure to end a pregnancy. The decision to end a pregnancy is common and one that millions of people make every year. Worldwide, it is estimated that nearly one in three pregnancies ends in abortion.
Yet despite the widespread need for abortion globally, access to safe and legal abortion services is far from guaranteed to those who need them. This lack of access to abortion care means that many women and pregnant people are denied their right to make informed decisions about their health and body.
While abortion care is one of the world’s safest medical procedures, policy and legal restrictions continue to prevent women and pregnant people from accessing safe care.
Research shows that attempts to criminalise or restrict abortion access don’t reduce the number of abortions. Data from Guttmacher Institute shows that abortion rates are roughly the same in countries where abortion is broadly legally accessible and in countries where it isn’t. Restricting access to abortion care does not remove the need, it only forces women to seek unsafe and unregulated abortion services, forcing them to risk their health, lives and futures.
When abortion is legally restricted, it is often poor communities and those that are marginalised that are most at risk of being forced to seek unsafe services. It is estimated that virtually all (97%) unsafe abortions occur in low- and middle-income countries, where countries that restrict abortion are concentrated.
Unsafe abortion is defined by the World Health Organisation as a procedure that is carried out either by a person lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not meet minimal medical standards, or both.
Almost half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe: an estimated 35 million each year. Data shows that seven million women will face complications and over 22,000 women will die as a consequence of unsafe abortions. Globally, 8-11% of maternal deaths are attributed to unsafe abortions.
Read more about the realities of unsafe abortion and the devastating cost to women's lives.
42% of women live in the 125 countries where abortion is highly restricted.
While access to abortion care has improved significantly over the past few decades, globally, millions of women still face legal restrictions that limit their right to decide if or when to be pregnant.
In every country where we work, we regularly see our services restricted by unnecessary regulation and over medicalisation. This prevents people from seeking and receiving the services they desperately want and need. Barriers to access can range from legal obstacles to stigma that leads women to prioritise secrecy over safety.
Around the world, abortion laws fall along a continuum of outright prohibition to allowing abortion on request. As of 2017, 58% of women of reproductive age, live in countries where abortions are broadly allowed. But while that represents the majority, 42% of women live in the 125 countries where abortion is highly restricted.
There is a long way to go until every woman’s right to safe, legal abortion care is universal. But significant progress is being made every day, and we know that public support for reproductive health is growing. For example, in the UK, 9 in 10 people are pro-choice and support access to abortion care. Across the world, MSI is working with advocates to remove unnecessary policy barriers to abortion, alongside a generation of young people inspired to stand stronger than ever to protect reproductive choice.
Read more about our work to remove barriers to reproductive choice
Even in places where abortion is broadly legal, restrictions to abortion care still exist. Stigma and other harmful social and cultural norms can inhibit both a woman's ability to seek services and a medical professional's willingness to provide them.
High levels of stigma are creating a culture of silence, meaning women who need safe services often lack essential information on where to access them. Stigma can stop women from speaking to their family or friends about their experience out of fear of being judged, leading to many women feeling isolated and alone throughout their experience and long thereafter. Stigma feeds silence, and silence feeds myths. Myths that misinform, mislead and further stigmatise. It’s a vicious and harmful circle that we need to break.
Stigma feeds silence, and silence feeds myths. Myths that misinform, mislead and further stigmatise.
As one of the world's leading pro-choice organisations, we are unapologetic in our defence of a woman's right to abortion, and we are proud to provide safe abortion services wherever the law permits.
At MSI, we firmly believe that everyone has the right to make informed decisions about their health and body, whether that means using contraception to prevent unintended pregnancy or choosing to end a pregnancy through safe abortion.
We work together with partners to improve access to safe abortion services, wherever it is legal for us to do so, and to reduce barriers to access, be it legal, clinical, social, or monetary. Wherever we can, we provide safe abortion and post-abortion care services for women and girls who have decided to end a pregnancy. We always respect and comply with national laws and regulations on abortion but stand shoulder to shoulder with women and girls worldwide in the global drive to liberalise abortion laws, eliminate unsafe abortion and prevent maternal deaths. Our position on this is and remains non-negotiable.
We work together with partners to improve access to safe abortion services, wherever it is legal for us to do so, and to reduce barriers to access, be it legal, clinical, social, or monetary.
