This short video provides useful tips to people who want to educate others about abortion, including ideas on how to create a safe and respectful space for discussion, how to present facts and how to make your session practical. Read our guide for more information:     Voir cette vidéo en français   Ver el video en español    Using these resources? Let us know how!

The fight for reproductive rights isn’t just happening in courts, legislatures, and clinics: it’s happening in the words we use every day and on social media. Anti-rights groups know that language shapes perceptions, and they have spent decades strategically shifting the narrative.We see this in their calculated choice of words. Faith-based organisations try to call a foetus 'unborn', and now are even trying to call them 'pre-born ', framing a foetus as an already fully formed ‘person’ rather than a developing pregnancy. The term “heartbeat bill” falsely implies the presence of a functioning heart just weeks after conception. Anti-abortion groups set up centres which manipulate and mislead women, and brand them as 'crisis pregnancy centres. This disguises their true intent - manipulating and misleading pregnant people into carrying pregnancies against their will. These aren’t just semantic games; they are deliberate strategies designed to control public opinion, stir emotion, and chip away at reproductive rights.Reframing is one of the most powerful tools we have. Anti-choice movements have nefariously hijacked terms like “life” and “choice,” but we must reclaim them with accuracy and power.When we talk about “life,”, we’re talking about the lives of real, living people who can become pregnant and who deserve the right to decide their futures. The ability to choose when or if to have children is fundamental to living a full and self-determined life. It’s about economic stability, health, safety, and autonomy.

28 March 2025 - Today, reproductive justice activists worldwide are mobilising for the Global Day of Action to Destigmatize Abortion. Over 180 feminist organisations and collectives are uniting to challenge harmful narratives, dismantle barriers, and demand safe, stigma-free abortion access everywhere.  Abortion stigma, fuelled by patriarchy, misinformation, and control, continues to block access, criminalise care, and force people into unsafe conditions. This global campaign demands an end to abortion bans, medical gatekeeping, and the cultural shame that silences those who seek care.  “Deciding whether to continue a pregnancy is our right. The only people who should feel shame are those forcing us into unsafe conditions.” – Mariana Gonzalez, the International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma (Inroads).  Abortion bans don’t just control bodies—they reinforce systemic racism and classism. Wealthy people will always find ways to access safe abortion care, while those from marginalised communities—especially Black, Indigenous, and low-income people—face the harshest consequences. These bans are rooted in a long history of reproductive oppression, targeting those already denied healthcare, economic stability, and bodily autonomy. Restricting abortion access isn’t about "protecting life", it’s about controlling who gets to make decisions about their future.  As anti-abortion movements gain momentum worldwide, this day of action is a rallying cry for bodily autonomy and real access to abortion care.  “Our fight has never been just about abortion—it’s about freedom. Who controls our bodies? We do. Anti-choice forces believe the state, the church, or the government should control us. But they will never stop us—and they will never stop abortion.” – Mara Clarke, Supporting Abortions for Everyone (S.A.F.E.)  “We refuse to be dictated to by anti-rights groups and governments that have seized power. We will continue to fight for sexual and reproductive health and rights for all—especially those who have been excluded and criminalised.” – Melissa Cockroft, Global Lead - Abortion, IPPF  Globally, 1 in 3 women will have an abortion in their lifetime. Every year, 73 million abortions take place, accounting for 61% of all unintended pregnancies. Bans don’t stop abortions from happening, they just make it more dangerous. Giving birth is 14 times riskier than having an abortion, yet anti-choice bans claim to care about safety while forcing many into unwanted pregnancies with far greater health risks.   “Abortion bans don’t protect anyone. They isolate people, fuel criminalisation, and put lives at risk. Everyone deserves access to care without fear or shame.” – Debanjana Choudhuri, WGNRR  The fight isn’t just about legality, it’s about access, dignity, and justice. While anti-abortion forces push for criminalisation, activists are building a global network of support that transcends borders, oppressive systems, and state control.  “We are constructing a new model for reproductive justice—one that is rooted in community, care, and the belief that everyone has the right to decide what happens to their own body.” – Lucia Berro Pizzarossa, WHW & Vecinas Feministas  Abortion is a human right, and we are claiming it.  ENDS  For media inquiries, contact:  Mariana, Communications Manager, inroads – mariana@makeinroads.org   Nerida Williams, Senior Media Advisor, IPPF – newilliams@ippf.org  Notes:  In over 50 countries, abortion is still criminalized, putting lives at risk. Even where it is legal, stigma-fueled barriers limit authentic access and force people to navigate unnecessary restrictions, shaming, and delays.  Self-managed abortion is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as safe and effective. Studies show that 99% of people who use abortion pills successfully end their pregnancies, with 96.4% not requiring any surgical support. (National Center for Biotechnology Information)  Abortion is also essential for miscarriage care. The same medical procedures and medication used for abortion are critical for safely treating common miscarriages and preventing complications. Abortion bans put all pregnant people at great risk. (Mayo Clinic)   To commemorate this day, multiple resources & events are being organized and shared on the march28.org website. Abortion advocates and allies are invited to join the events and raise awareness on March 28th. 

The new President of the United States is now unveiling his plan to dismantle progress and implement a violent and discriminatory society, all of which have been designed to reverse human rights wins. Between 20 and 29 January, 2025, Donald Trump announced a series of presidential actions, aimed at scaling up attacks toward every individual's right to decide over their own body, identity, and life. The plan of the Trump administration was detailed in the "Project 2025": A society where women lose their rights and freedoms and are reduced to reproductive and domestic labour; A society where the existence of trans and intersex individuals is denied, and their rights are trampled upon; A society where lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals are forbidden from the choice to have a family - or not - and live freely in their emotional, sexual and relational lives. We have learnt from years of denouncing and refusing the conditions of the Global Gag Rule, that executive orders expand over political cycles, and we can’t rely on a change in government to wind back the clock. The introduction of the Foreign Aid Executive Order, the Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government, and the Reevaluating And Realigning United States Foreign Aid reveal a new level of complexity designed to chill the funding landscape and promote violence against those most discriminated and marginalized. This vision, driven by far-right ideologies, will accelerate gender-based, sexual, and LGBTQI+phobic violence, result in more deaths and restrict long taken for granted human rights. This deadly project is not unique to the American far-right. We see it spreading across the world. We have seen both right-wing and left-wing governments gradually incorporating far-right narratives by denying the rights of trans individuals, migrants, and women. A culture of fear and silence has translated into collusion and complicity. We will stand up and speak out for sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice for ALL.  Trans people, women, refugees, and migrants are not the threat. Two consecutive administrations who militarised aid and development followed by the Trump Administrations attacks on identity make the US political establishment the real threat to global peace and progress.  Let’s cut through the rhetoric and name the Trump Administration's actions for what they are: Attacking the rights of trans and intersex individuals is attacking women’s rights. Deporting migrants leads to misery and death for at risk or targeted populations. Forcibly transferring incarcerated trans women to men’s prisons amounts to risking their lives Cutting funding to the World Health Organization, UNFPA and others makes us vulnerable to pandemics, and cuts off healthcare to everyone, including Americans. Blocking funding for sexual and reproductive health organizations increases the amount of abortions, but makes them less safe, resulting in pregnant people dying. Denying trans adolescents access to healthcare leaves children to suffer, more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ young people (ages 13-24) seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S. — and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds. Increasing militarization and occupation results in more attacks against health care workers and the destruction of service sites makes progress impossible. Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement contributes to an increase in natural disasters and humanitarian crises, where most unsafe abortions happen.  The far-right’s program leads to the death of women, LGBTQI+ individuals, migrants, the poor, and other oppressed groups. To combat this destructive societal vision, our organizations call for the unity of progressive movements: We urge governments to stop enabling anti-rights narratives: let women, trans, intersex and non-binary individuals, and migrants live with dignity. Respect our human rights. Defend our human rights. Condemn governments that attack us. We welcome political and climate refugees. We call on feminist organizations, defenders of sexual rights, LGBTQI+ advocates, environmentalists, and ALL human rights defenders: build bridges between our struggles. Keep showing up as part of the wider liberation struggle. To organizations with privileged access to places of power like us: use this privilege to amplify the struggles of those absent from the negotiation table. Elevate the voice of the people who are directly targeted. To keep fighting for the end of colonisation and occupation. We speak out against the militarization of our health service scopes, and the killing of health care workers and patients.  Finally, to individuals and activists who follow us, who defend our causes, who demonstrate, share our messages on social media, and support us financially: thank you. You are not alone. Join us. Let’s come together and fight back and win.

On International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, a coalition of human rights organizations are launching a new set of guidelines for governments to protect frontline abortion rights defenders, including healthcare providers. Amnesty International, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Ipas, MSI Reproductive Choices, the Organisation Pour Le Dialogue Pour L’Avortement Sécurisé (ODAS Centre) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) published the Key principles and actions to safeguard abortion care providers as human rights defenders. The document provides a set of concrete recommendations for governments to guarantee that health professionals and other human rights defenders of the right to abortion care for women, girls and pregnant people, can do so without fear of attacks and intimidation. “Despite the global progress we have seen on sexual and reproductive health and rights over recent years, including steps to decriminalize abortion in many countries, defending abortion rights, which includes the provision of abortion by healthcare providers, remains a dangerous job,” said Fernanda Doz Costa, Gender, Racial Justice, Migrants & Refugees Programme Director at Amnesty International. “Abortion rights defenders are failed by many States. On the one hand, States are negligent in their obligation to protect them while, on the other hand, abortion continues to be restricted and criminalized. As such defenders are deemed less ‘deserving’ of support and protection and are actively targeted. The Key Principles show governments how to break this cycle,” said Melissa Cockroft, Global Lead on Abortion, IPPF. “Democracy, human rights, and abortion rights are under attack, and so too are the frontline defenders of these rights. They risk physical and verbal attacks, threats, smears and intimidation to ensure people have access to abortion – a critical and essential health care service. We stand with them today and every day in the fight for human rights, and call on the global community to do the same,” said Dr. Anu Kumar, President and CEO of Ipas. The Key Principles include practical recommendations to: Prevent violations by implementing specific protection protocols and establishing channels to report harassment and receive support;   Enable defenders to exercise their rights without fear by ensuring universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, and decriminalizing abortion – as reinforced by the WHO’s Abortion guidelines; Safeguard defenders’ rights by protecting civic space and tackling abortion stigma; Provide redress, by stopping the criminalization of abortion defenders, and by bringing to justice those who attack them; “As the organized rollback of reproductive rights continues, the attacks being directed at healthcare providers are getting worse. It's time for States to uphold their duty and defend those who are risking everything to provide lifesaving care. We look forward to working alongside and together with governments, professional associations, donors, health facility managers, and civil society organisations to ensure frontline healthcare providers are given the support they deserve,” said Simon Cooke, MSI Reproductive Choices’ CEO. "Comprehensive abortion care is an essential health service. Midwives who provide these services are often subjected to discrimination, intimidation, and in some cases, even violence. In order to uphold women's right to safe abortion care, we need to protect and enable the midwives and health professionals who provide these services. To do this, professional associations, civil society, policy makers and governments need to implement the Key principles and actions to safeguard abortion care providers as human rights defenders," said Sandra Oyarzo Torres, ICM President. “We refuse to stay silent in the face of constant attempts to restrict and criminalize abortion and its defenders, and we commit to stand firmly with this fundamental human right,” said Kadidiatou SOW, Director of the ODAS Centre. An Amnesty International report in 2023 detailed the danger and difficulties faced by those who defend abortion rights and provide access to services, often in challenging circumstances, including midwives, doctors, nurses, doulas, activists and all those who help pregnant people manage their own abortions with medication. The report evidenced how many people working in healthcare settings are exposed to hostility and abuse from colleagues, employers, patients and others who oppose abortion.  Those working outside health facilities are also exposed to physical and verbal attacks, threats, smears and intimidation. Some are criminalized through prosecutions, investigations and arrests. The report also documents cases of stigmatization, isolation and ostracization, and restrictions on rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Attacks are more common in countries where abortion is stigmatized, restricted or criminalised. “Abortion is essential healthcare. Yet, as healthcare providers we are routinely faced with discrimination and violence for simply doing our jobs. Restrictive abortion laws and attitudes cause harm. They create hostile environments that feed abortion-related stigma that smears healthcare providers and those that seek abortion care as criminals. We all know colleagues, unfortunately, who have battled with stigma, career blocking, intimidation, physical attack, imprisonment, and even in the most extreme cases health care providers have been murdered,” said Dr Anne-Beatrice Kihara, President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). For more information or to organize an interview, please contact: press@amnesty.org or media@ippf.org

On this International Safe Abortion Day, we celebrate mifepristone and Misoprostol: the tiny tablets making abortion safer and more accessible to women around the world. In June of 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back the constitutional right to an abortion with the Dobbs decision, many people took to the streets in protest — and many of the signs they carried featured wire hangers.   Why wire hangers? It harkened back to the years before Roe v. Wade when abortion was illegal, and women seeking to end their pregnancies often risked unsafe procedures that threatened their health and lives. Fortunately, the wire hanger has less relevance today in the US than it did in 1973. And that’s because of a game-changing advancement in reproductive care that was first introduced about 30 years ago: medication abortion, also known as medical abortion or the “abortion pill.” Abortion using medication, also known as medical abortion, usually involves taking two different drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, which are taken in sequence. Mifepristone stops further development of the pregnancy, and misoprostol induces uterine contractions to expel the pregnancy tissue. The use of misoprostol alone has also proven an effective and safe way to end a pregnancy, which is especially important in extending access in countries where mifepristone is more difficult to obtain. Around the world, these tiny pills are revolutionizing abortion access for several reasons: They are generally less expensive than a procedure, putting abortion within financial reach for people and communities that otherwise couldn’t afford it. They require less medical training and equipment. They can be taken in the comfort and privacy of one’s home. They offer the pregnant person choice in abortion services options in instances where both procedural abortion and medical abortion are available.

Election season is heating up. As headlines in the U.S. swirl with updates about presidential campaigns, pop star endorsements, implications for our democracy, and of course, for abortion rights, it is easy to forget that the United States is not alone. Ours is but one of at least 64 national, presidential, or parliamentary elections that will take place this year, with half the world’s population heading to the polls. That makes 2024 the biggest and most consequential global election year in history.   A consequential global election year. From Taiwan to Russia and from Malawi to France, each election will have significant implications for human rights, including women’s rights. It is fair to say that around the world, bodies are on the ballot. When it comes to the global movement for bodily autonomy, progress can look very different around the world. In some countries it can take the form of pro-abortion legislation, while in others it can be as basic as acknowledging that women have a right to make decisions about their own bodies. Regression, on the other hand, looks the same in every country: it looks like the far right. The political climate leading up to elections in several countries, including the U.S., has demonstrated a troubling resurgence of support for far-right parties and other anti-rights groups. This was especially true of the parliamentary elections in Europe earlier this year. Far-right parties made huge gains across all 27 member states, including Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. In France, a stunning 38% of votes were cast for far-right parties. The U.S. is a bold participant, perhaps even an agitator, of this global far-right resurgence. We are all too familiar with the regressive, anti-immigrant, anti-trans, anti-reproductive-freedom, and anti-progress rhetoric that is characteristic of a far right campaign. But one important thing sets our election apart from others experiencing similar stakes: The U.S. 2024 election has the power to impact the bodily autonomy of people around the world—not just those within our borders. And that’s because of a policy called the “Mexico City Policy,” also known as the Global Gag Rule.

It’s been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, revoking the constitutional right to an abortion. With U.S. headlines dominated by the “abortion wars,” it’s easy to forget that on a global scale, the rollback of women’s health and rights has put the U.S. in a lonely category: it is one of only four nations to restrict abortion access in decades, alongside El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Poland. The vast majority of nations are on an opposite trajectory towards expanding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). In fact, over the past 30 years, more than 60 countries have brought down legal barriers to abortion. But the global trend towards liberalizing abortion is happening at the same time as a sinister counterforce: an anti-rights movement that wants to erode bodily autonomy. The fall of Roe has emboldened and invigorated these regressive forces around the globe, throwing a dangerous wrench in progress for many countries where activists, advocacy groups, and healthcare organizations have been fighting for years to chip away at stigmas and laws that stand in the way of abortion access.