Safe Abortion in Asia Making it work ! Dr S P Choong, MB,ChB. FCA. Chair, Asia Safe Abortion Partnership (ASAP)

Safe Abortion in AsiaMaking it work !

Dr S P Choong, MB,ChB. FCA.Chair, Asia Safe Abortion

Partnership (ASAP)

Abortion in our name , Why use abortion? Why not!!!

35 yrs after Roe vs Wade.15 yrs since ICPD in Cairo; 20 yrs since RU-486 discovered

• 30yrs since approval of MVA, • 40yrs since the Pill and the IUCD.

When are we going to make it work??

• Every day thousands of Asian women, driven by desperation, poverty and social stigma, seek help from unskilled providers to end unplanned pregnancies.

• Every day more than 100 such women, often young girls, die as a result. Tens of thousands more suffer life-long disabilities.

• In Asia, unsafe abortion accounts for 12 percent of all maternal, or pregnancy-related, deaths and claims the lives of 38,000 women each year, according to the World Health Organization.

Why is this situation not considered CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE?

• Restrictive abortion laws and exclusion of safe abortion services in health programs by governments threaten the health and lives of tens of thousands of women every year.

• Many NGOs supporting women’s health programs continue to ignore the critical importance of abortion services.

World opinion now considers such restrictions and exclusions as serious violations of human rights!

(ref: CEDAW, ICPD, MDG’s under the UN, Human Rights Watch, European Court of Human Rights.)

While some ‘backward’ nations are still debating about de-crimnializing abortions the, world community is now seriously working to criminalise abortion bans/restrictions!!

ASAP—making a difference• Established a Established a googlegroup googlegroup to disseminate updated to disseminate updated

technical information / regular news on abortion-technical information / regular news on abortion-related issues globally.related issues globally.

• Expanding our Expanding our network and experience network and experience through through international and regional conferences and workshops.international and regional conferences and workshops.

• Strategic mapping Strategic mapping and pooling of existing resources.and pooling of existing resources.

• Capacity building for members toCapacity building for members to develop develop advocacy advocacy strategiesstrategies and action plans

• IdentifyingIdentifying advocacy opportunities advocacy opportunities and encouraging encouraging strategic interventions.strategic interventions.

• Strengthening the documentation Strengthening the documentation of issues related to safe abortion in Asia by conducting local studies.

• Liaison with partners Liaison with partners on a regular basis through the website and e-group.

• Setting up a peer to peer supportpeer to peer support to the providers who are new to the method of medical abortionmethod of medical abortion.

Our organisational brochure

Our Website www.asap-asia.org

Some highlights……..

1. Research: A qualitative survey of Legal Professionals

• The qualitative multi-country research studymulti-country research study on knowledge, attitudes and understanding of legal professionals with regard to safe abortion as a women’s right.

• Initiated in July 2008 and recently concluded in 7 countries (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka) through local partners.

Legal Professionals: do we know what they think?

• To appreciate the differences in knowledge, attitudes and understanding among legal professionals and law enforcement officials towards women’s rights to safe and legal abortion in countries with differing laws on abortion.

• To prepare strategies for advocacy to improve abortion access in those countries where it is legal.

• To create a more conducive legal environment to support safe abortion services for women in countries where abortion laws are restrictive.

2. Workshop: Understanding Safe Abortion as a Right: Defining our Position

A three day workshop was held in March in Mumbai with 22participants from 8 countries of Asia- Pacific region. The aim of the workshop was

• To better understand the human rights framework for the advocacy activities in the field of women’s rights and

• To develop skills for the designing of advocacy messages placing safe abortion in the context of those rights.

• Moving advocacy from health needs to ethics and human rights advocacy.

3. Linking-up Regionally and Globally:3. Linking-up Regionally and Globally:An International e-forumAn International e-forum

• We have an We have an International e-forumInternational e-forum (http://groups.google.com/group/asap-asia?hl=en)(http://groups.google.com/group/asap-asia?hl=en)

• The postings on this e-forum are the discussions and updates related to technical, policy, programmatic issues of Safe Abortion in Asia and Globally.

• This googlegroup has had over 200 postings with 82 members on the list so far.

• Breaking local advocates out of isolation, developing more confidence through a more cohesive e-community.

4. Socialising Abortion: Helpline for medical abortion

A proposal to train sympathetic counselors from the A proposal to train sympathetic counselors from the local community to provide information on MA and local community to provide information on MA and linking them to approved providers. Thus: -linking them to approved providers. Thus: -

• Creating Creating community access to Medical Abortioncommunity access to Medical Abortion through telephone counseling.through telephone counseling.

• Linking potential abortion seekers to friendly Linking potential abortion seekers to friendly confidential service providers and backup services.confidential service providers and backup services.

• Reduce doctor dependencyReduce doctor dependency and clinic resources by and clinic resources by encouraging self medication at home.encouraging self medication at home.

• Remove the social stigma (in the long term)Remove the social stigma (in the long term)

Helpline for medical abortion…..

• Remove the social stigma (in the long term)Remove the social stigma (in the long term)• Reduce doctor dependency and strain on clinical Reduce doctor dependency and strain on clinical

servicesservices. • Empower women by instilling knowledge for self-Empower women by instilling knowledge for self-

help, enabling them to act as decision makers.help, enabling them to act as decision makers.

• To “de-medicalise” and socialize the abortion services through better education, communication and application of new technology.

Conclusions………

1.1. Safe abortion advocates in Asia are still operating in Safe abortion advocates in Asia are still operating in relative isolation in their countries. relative isolation in their countries. Regional Regional networking is needed to increase their strength and networking is needed to increase their strength and capacity and to generate more confidence in their capacity and to generate more confidence in their work.work.

2.2. The ideological position taken by advocates is still The ideological position taken by advocates is still rather diffuse and diverse. rather diffuse and diverse. Understanding and Understanding and adopting a common platform based on human adopting a common platform based on human rights in the abortion debate will enable us to take rights in the abortion debate will enable us to take a more assertive and aggressive position..a more assertive and aggressive position..

Continued……….

3. The taboo associated with any discussion on 3. The taboo associated with any discussion on abortion has to be eradicated. abortion has to be eradicated.

• Collecting and exposing more local data on abortion Collecting and exposing more local data on abortion situations at all discussions on policiessituations at all discussions on policies

• Generate more debates on abortion in relation to Generate more debates on abortion in relation to women's rights or health.women's rights or health.

• This will eventually remove the paralyzing social This will eventually remove the paralyzing social stigma of abortion.stigma of abortion.

Continued………

4. The full potential offered by ‘newer’ medical technology like MA and MVA is still far from being realized.

• Creative re-organization of existing services is needed to ‘socialize’ abortion services to involve the para medics and community leaders and to reduce doctor dependency.

• Ultimately, this socialization will also help to de-stigmatize the issue leading to universal access.

5. 5. Educating all women on ‘DIY’ methods of Educating all women on ‘DIY’ methods of abortion is needed to enable them to make abortion is needed to enable them to make their own decisions on their reproductive their own decisions on their reproductive health. health.

This will translate into greater confidence in This will translate into greater confidence in women eventually empowering them to play women eventually empowering them to play a bigger role as decision makers.a bigger role as decision makers.

Together, we can make it WORK!

Thank you