Stigma, violence and discrimination are some of the personal and work-related challenges and obstacles that abortion providers and abortion escorts have faced in their commitment to serve those who require these services.
The social organizations safe2choose and Ipas CAM (Central America and Mexico), specialized in sexual and reproductive rights -including accompaniment in safe abortion processes-, co-authored the “International Survey of Abortion Providers and Companions”, which integrates the experiences of 341 people who facilitate abortions in: Latin America and the Caribbean (56.3%), Europe (14.2%), Africa (9.4%), North America (9.1%), Asia (8.8%) and Oceania (2.1%).
This survey demonstrates that the social judgment surrounding abortion is not exclusive to the women who seek the procedure: it also reaches abortion providers and providers’ companions, who face stigmatizing attitudes in public. More than half reported feeling that their work faces greater legal restrictions than other health professions, and more than a third feel that their work is looked down upon by colleagues.
In addition, abortion providers in Latin America, Africa and Asia reported that they practice their profession in a context of gender-based violence, unequal access to health services, criminalization and social exclusion that has even led to migration.
The survey also revealed regional challenges according to legislation and culture. For example, in Oceania and Latin America, the main challenge is legal restrictions; in Europe, Africa and North America, the lack of financing; and in Asia, the shortage of suppliers.
“We want to reduce the number of risky practices, giving our patients the opportunity to live their health fully, with safe procedures, making abortion a right, not a privilege,” said Francis Makiya, District Medical Officer (DMO) in Mwanza, Malawi.
Therefore, safe2choose.org and Ipas CAM call on abortion providers, health-care professionals and the media to join the campaign against the stigmatizing attitudes faced by abortion providers and abortion escorts.
At Ipas CAM, we work to ensure that women have access to safe, quality services that adhere to international protocols and human rights, which implies constant accompaniment to health services. We advocate for medical professionals to be able to practice their work with professionalism, without prejudice or stigma, and for reproductive rights to be recognized as a social justice priority.
“Breaking the stigma and violence against safe abortion providers and escorts must be a priority so that women around the world who choose to terminate their pregnancies can do so with trained personnel who listen to their needs and protect them from unsafe abortions,” said Maria Elena Collado Miranda, Ipas CAM community access project advisor.
For its part, safe2choose maintains a worldwide network of certified health professionals who provide comprehensive abortion care without prejudice.
“We are proud to continue to offer our providers inclusion in a global pro-choice network to share lessons learned and best practices. Our commitment as safe2choose.org is to provide access to the best abortion providers and to comprehensive and reliable information about safe abortion,” says Pauline Diaz, program manager of safe2choose.
We invite you to consult the full report of the “International Survey of Abortion Providers and Caregivers” to learn how their work is affected and how they deal with stigma in different regions of the world.
For more information, visit www.safe2choose.org and www.ipascam.org, or write to [email protected] or [email protected].
#PorProveerAbortosGracias
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