Self-Managed Abortion and the Law: Toward a Person-Centered Human Rights Approach

All over the world, people are safely ending their pregnancies outside medical facilities, often with medicine—a practice called self-managed abortion. In most countries, criminal or punitive laws and policies place legal restrictions on self-managed abortion and violate the human rights of pregnant people and those who help them.

For many people, self-managed abortion is a preferred way to end a pregnancy based on their experiences and circumstances. People may self-manage their abortions in settings where termination services are restricted or where access is difficult, such as in countries facing shortages of health-care workers willing and able to provide abortion. Even where people have access to high-quality abortion services provided in formal health systems, they may choose to self-manage their abortions because of privacy concerns or to avoid stigma related to abortion or pregnancy. 

Panelists will share their experiences of the harms of the criminalization of self-managed abortion and together will envision a future that promotes the human rights of pregnant people and those who help them self-manage their abortions.

Panel moderated by Patty Skuster, Senior Legal Advisor, Ipas

Presenters:

• Rebecca Brown, Senior Director of Global Advocacy, Center for Reproductive Rights
• Farah Diaz-Tello, Senior Counsel, If/When/How
• Lucía Berro Pizzarossa, Network and Partnerships Coordinator, Mobilizing Activists for Medical Abortion Network & Research Fellow, Global Health Law Groningen Research Centre
• Mariana Prandini Assis, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law

RSVP: [email protected]