POSITION PAPER: ABORTION - YouAct

1 YouAct asserts that the right to abortions is an integralpart of sexual and reproductive health, rights, andjustice. It is a crucial aspect of human rights, genderequality, reproductive justice and healthcare. It istherefore essential that abortions are legal, safe,accessible and advocates for the right of individuals to makedecisions about their own bodies and decide if, when, andhow to have children, and have the capacity, means, andsupport to fulfil their decision. YouAct fights for a worldwhere sexuality is accepted as a positive aspect of life, andthe sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) ofyoung people . This means that young people should haveaccess to accurate information, youth-friendly healthcareand have the capacity to decide freely and responsiblyabout all aspects of their sexuality and reproductive stands against all forms of reproductive coercion andstrongly believes that forcing people through pregnancy is aviolation of human NEED FOR LEGALITY,SAFETY AND YOUTH-FRIENDLY ACCESS TOABORTION CAREA bortion is a common medical procedure.

2 GuttmacherInstitute estimates that 56 million induced abortionstook place annually during 2010 2014, meaning thataround 25% of all pregnancies ended in abortionworldwide (Guttmacher Institute, 2018). people without access to safe, legal and non-stigmatised ABORTION services are more likely to beforced to carry out a pregnancy to term or undergo anunsafe or illegal ABORTION . Without access to sexualeducation, contraceptives, and ABORTION , people aredenied the right to make decisions regarding their lives,bodies and to the Centre for Reproductive Rights, the world s population live under ABORTION laws thatWHY ARE ABORTIONRIGHTS NOT REALISED?Legal barriers to ABORTION include bans, limits andrestrictions that prevent people from accessing abortionswhen they need them. Parental consent laws, mandatorycounselling, partner consent laws, and mandatory waitingperiods are examples of legal factors that affects access toabortion specifically for young to estimates, 22,800 women die each yearfrom complications from an unsafe ABORTION (Guttmacher Institute, 2018).

3 Almost every death andinjury as a result of unsafe ABORTION is prevantable ifsafe and legal ABORTION care is available and accessible(International Planned Parenthood, How to talk aboutabortion ).Research shows that compared to older people ,adolescents are more likely to obtain unsafe abortions;more likely to terminate their pregnancies late whenthe procedure has higher risks; and more hesitant toseek medical care for complications resulting fromunsafe abortions (Guttmacher Institute, 2016).Adolescents are also more likely to receive abortionsthat do not match WHO standards. This is due to thestigma that young people face and the lack of youth-friendly information and healthcare (GuttmacherInstitute, 2016).Many countries within the European Council area stillhave highly restrictive ABORTION laws and inadequatesexual education, and ABORTION stigma is are three times as many unsafe abortions andunintended adolescent pregnancies in Central andEastern Europe than in Western Europe (Astra Network,2014).

4 Completely ban access or only allow abortions if thepregnant person s life is in danger (Center forReproductive Rights, ).Legal barriersPOSITION paper : ABORTION2 ABORTION is a common procedure even in countries wherethere are legal restrictions. Therefore, safe and high-quality ABORTION care is a medical necessity, and it saveslives. YouAct advocates for the full decriminalisation ofabortion in order to create a safer and more enablingenvironment for all stigma is prevalent everywhere, and is the rootcause of legal restrictions, negative attitudes, and thediscrimination and violence that people who have had anabortion and ABORTION providers face. YouAct works tofight ABORTION stigma by raising awareness and providingaccurate, youth-friendly information. YouAct works to combat ABORTION stigma and raiseawareness of the specific needs of young people throughadvocacy, training and campaigns.

5 Find our toolkits onabortion storytelling as a way to combat ABORTION stigmain Eastern Europe StigmaAbortion stigma is the negative attitudes associated withabortion, which lead to myths, shame, harassment, andphysical and mental harm to individuals who undergoabortions as well as their families, friends, and healthcareproviders (International Planned Parenthood, TacklingAbortion Stigma ). The stigma surrounding ABORTION is oneof the biggest barriers that prevent people from accessinginformation, healthcare, and support for safe people face specific forms of stigma because of thecultural values and norms that are associated with beingyoung, female and/or unmarried, making it harder foryoung people especially to access ABORTION care (Kumar etal., 2009; Norris et al., 2011). YouAct 'S APPROACHYOUACT'S POSITIONYouAct envisions a world where people have access to safe andlegal abortions, and have the capacity, support and resources tobe able to access ABORTION barriers to access immediate ABORTION careperpetuate ABORTION stigma and suggest that peopleare unable to make decisions over their own will therefore advocate for the removal of allthese barriers, legal and others, in the Council ofEurope member states, and support efforts to removebarriers to access ABORTION in the rest of the world.

6 Thisincludes advocating for the right to decide where tohave an ABORTION , for example in the home. young people are particularly vulnerable whenabortion rights are denied and limited. YouAct willtherefore advocate for the removal of barriers toabortion access that are particularly damaging will work to challenge ABORTION stigma and tochange harmful societal gender norms that stigmatisepeople who have abortions, people who provideabortions, and people who fight for reproductivejustice. ABORTION provision does not stand alone, but must gohand-in-hand with other aspects of reproductive health,rights and justice. Ensuring reproductive healthcare to thehighest standard includes access to ABORTION , education,evidence-based information, and contraception. It alsoincludes supporting people s right to parent children insafe and healthy environments free from violence byindividuals or the state.

7 As part of a movement forreproductive justice, intersectionality must be put at thecenter of all of our work. This means recognising thecompounding forms of stigma that specific groups face,the specific needs that people have, and supporting thosewho are marginalised in different ways. There are social, cultural and financial barriers that preventpeople, youth in particular, from accessing safe abortioncare. These barriers include stigma, judgement fromproviders, lack of financial means, unnecessary medicaltests such as forced ultrasounds, lack of evidence-basedinformation, refusal by healthcare professionals,misleading information, lack of anonymity, or inability toreach healthcare facilities. This is not an exhaustive list ofbarriers. Note that socially vulnerable people (youth, peopleof colour, people with disabilities, trans and non-binarypeople, incarcerated people , people without legal status,etc.)

8 Experience different and specific barriers to justreproductive healthcare in general, and abortionspecifically. A person s capacity to access ABORTION caremight be dependent on their identity (for example racial,religious or gender), positionality and social status, and thebarriers to access can be barriers3 BIBLIOGRAPHYA stra Network (2014). Status of Sexual andReproductive Health and Rights in Central and EasternEurope. Retrieved from: Center for Reproductive Rights ( ). The World sAbortion Laws. Retrieved from: Guttmacher Institute (2016). January 2016 Fact sheet:Adolescents Need for and Use of ABORTION Services inDeveloping Countries. Retrieved from: Guttmacher Institute (2018). March 2018 Factsheet:Induced ABORTION Worldwide. Retrieved from: International Planned Parenthood Federation ( ).

9 How to talk about ABORTION : A guide to rights-basedmessaging. Retrieved from: International Planned Parenthood Federation ( ). Tackling ABORTION stigma. Retrieved from: We would like to thank Camila Ochoa Mendoza, FridaGunnarsson and Laura Honders for developing thisposition paper as its core authors. We would also like toacknowledge and thank everyone in the organisationwho has provided valuable input at different stages toensure the paper reflects YouAct s collective POSITION :Adriana Pereira, Anamaria Suciu, Bilge EylemDedeo lu, Chenai Muchena, Panayiotis Elia and SophieBeria. We also want to thank Emma Carson for designing thispublication. Published 2020. For more information, please visit people s ability to make decisions over theirbodies and reproductive lives should be recognised,trusted, and supported.

10 YouAct will advocate forthis in all areas related to reproductive justice. Thisincludes ensuring access to contraception andcomprehensive sexuality is a human right and should be recognisedas such. Forcing people through pregnancy or intounsafe ABORTION is a violation of human will therefore advocate for the formalrecognition of ABORTION care as a human , A., Hessini, L., & Mitchell, E. M. (2009).Conceptualising ABORTION stigma. Culture, health &sexuality, 11(6), 625-639. Norris, A., Bessett, D., Steinberg, J. R., Kavanaugh, , De Zordo, S., & Becker, D. (2011). ABORTION stigma: areconceptualization of constituents, causes, andconsequences. Women's health issues, 21(3).