Beyond the rhetoric: are we ready for an abortion revolution?

Date: 18/11/2021

Theme

Abortion, service delivery, client-centered, de-medicalised care, self-care

Summary

The world of abortion care is being transformed. From self-managed medical abortion and tele-abortion to abortion care provided by midwives in mobile clinics and community health workers in women’s homes, the days of highly medicalized, clinic-based, doctor-led only abortion procedures should be over. But does this ideology mirror reality? In this session, we will ask why these innovations in abortion care are important and what do they mean for IPPF MAs, including the major pitfalls and opportunities. We will also ask what are the areas of friction stopping us from embracing this brave new world in abortion care?

Registration

https://weareinnovision.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CG3HGImaT2ykrfTKdE1j6g

Date

18th November 2021

Time

13:00- 14:30 CET

Languages

Interpretation will be available in Arabic French, English and Spanish

Host

RFSU – Riksförbundet för sexuell upplysning/The Swedish Association for Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Introduction by

Tarah Demant serves on the IPPF Board Committee on Strategy Investment and Policy. She is the Director of the Gender, Sexuality, and Identity Program at Amnesty International USA, where she leads AIUSA’s work on women’s rights, LGBTI rights, the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and sexual and reproductive rights. She brings over twenty years of experience in global gender issues. Previously she has worked with the USHN Network and as a professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and English.  She holds a Ph.D. in English and a Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Washington University in St. Louis.

Moderator

María Antonieta Alcalde is the Director of Ipas Central America and Mexico office. Ipas is the only international organization solely focused on expanding access to safe abortion and contraceptive care. Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. We work with partners to train abortion providers, connect women with vital information so they can access services, and to advocate for safe, legal abortion. 

Maria Antonieta is a Mexican feminist and activist for women and youth rights. She is also seasoned leader in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) with over twenty years of executive leadership experience. She led the advocacy efforts of the International Planned Parenthood Federation / Western Hemisphere Region for fourteen years, and she was also the Director of the IPPF Liaison Office to the United Nation. Ms. Alcalde has a solid advocacy experience both at the national and the international level and has participated in several international conferences related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including the five-ten, fifteen and twenty-year reviews of the ICPD and Beijing Conferences, the Sustainable Development Goals negotiations, among others.

Roundtable Members

Kristina Gemzell Danielsson is professor, and Head of the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at Karolinska Institutet (KI), where she is also the Chair of Neonatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and senior consultant at the Karolinska University Hospital. She is director of the WHO collaborating centre for Research and Research training in Human Reproduction at Karolinska Institutet. She is Honorary Clinical Professor at Hong Kong University, and Honorary fellow FSRH, RCOG, UK. She was a member of the International Committee for contraceptive research (ICCR), Population Council/, and is past president of the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health, and FIAPAC, member of the international medical advisory panel (IMAP) of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), member of the FIGO council and Chair of the FIGO committee on human rights, refugees and violence against women.

Her research is translational (experimental, clinical trials and implementation;  “from bench-to bed-to the hands of women”) and includes the full spectra from obstetrics to gynaecological cancer but with a focus on reproductive medicine (endometrial function, embryo implantation, comprehensive abortion care, emergency contraception and development of new contraceptive technology and new methods for assisted reproduction). She is the author of more than 300 scientific publications. She initiated and participated in the development of the FIGO misoprostol guidelines. In 2012 she was awarded with the FIGO Award in Recognition of Women Obstetricians/Gynecologists.

Dr Anjum Rizvi, Director of Programs, Rahnuma-FPAP has diverse experience for more than 25 years in SRHR program management with experience in strategic planning, integrated communication, capacity building, behavioural coaching, report writing, budgeting, implementing and controlling. She is gender vocal person in FPAP and has affluent experience of liaison and working with govt.departments, NGOs, vulnerable groups, key populations and institutions responsible for implementing SRHR interventions. As a Director of Programs Implementation, she is supervising a number of SRHR projects implemented at FPAP across Pakistan.

Dr Kenneth Buyinza, Manager, Clinical Services at Reproductive Health Uganda, is a Reproductive Health Specialist with 15 years of experience in service delivery, program development and management of Sexual and Reproductive Health Initiatives. Kenneth is currently the Head of Service Delivery at Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU). Prior to RHU, Kenneth has served with Plan International as Country Health Specialist for Uganda. Kenneth is also an advocate of the rights of persons with disabilities and their inclusion is SRHR.

Marta Royo is Executive Director of Profamilia, Colombia’s longest-standing, non-governmental organisation that provides, protects, and advocates for sexual and reproductive rights and services.

This responsibility has given her the opportunity to help achieve significant political and social transformation aimed towards improving the status of girls and women in Colombia, including, but not limited to: leading legislature on the National Policy on Sexuality and Sexual and Reproductive Rights; making sure these rights are recognised for people with disabilities; eliminating the barriers that prevent women from accessing safe abortions. In this position, she has managed to implement a successful social enterprise model, while working towards making Profamilia a sustainable organization and expanding the social impact of its programs and initiatives.

Christelyn (Teta) Sibugon is the Asia Projects Coordinator of WGNRR, a south-based network that connects and strengthens social movements for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and justice. WGNRR works to realize the full sexual and reproductive health and rights of all people. As a safe abortion rights advocate based in the Philippines, where abortion is highly restricted, Teta has conceptualized and coordinated initiatives to reduce stigma, normalize conversations, and assist in research and story-gathering on abortion. Working with other SRHR advocates and women’s rights activists, she played an active role in launching the decriminalization of abortion campaign in the country.  With her background in Mass and Development Communications, Teta has worked in many initiatives with and for women and young people in development and humanitarian projects, supporting them by creating spaces to build their capacities, learn with others, and engage meaningfully to claim their rights.