E-BULLETIN OF AIDSFOCUS.CH SWISS PLATFORM ON HIV/AIDS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Dear Reader,

An estimated 22 million abortions continue to be performed unsafely each year, resulting in the death of an estimated 47 000 women and disabilities for an additional 5 million women. These high numbers are shocking, and more so: almost every one of these deaths and disabilities could have been prevented through sexuality education, family planning, and the provision of safe, legal induced abortion and care for complications of abortion.

The global day of action for access to safe and legal abortion has its origin in Latin America where women’s groups have been mobilizing around September 28 the last two decades. They demand their governments to decriminalize abortion, to provide access to safe and affordable abortion services and to end stigma and discrimination towards women who choose to have an abortion. This date was chosen as it is the date of the abolition of slavery in Brazil. Today, 28 September is celebrated as the day of the "free womb" demanding for safe and legal abortion for all women.

Like any other woman or girl, women living with HIV have many reasons to wish to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. There may be additional reasons for women living with HIV: a woman with HIV may be afraid to transmit the virus to her child and she may lack access to antiretroviral therapy, both to keep herself healthy and to prevent HIV transmission during pregnancy. However, access to safe legal abortion is rarely mentioned HIV and AIDS strategies and programs, even as it is an essential component of a human rights-based approach to providing reproductive health care for women.

Programs linking HIV and reproductive health services must not only include access to modern contraceptive methods and non-discriminatory antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, but also access to safe legal abortion. When aidsfocus.ch demands the right to reproductive and sexual health for all, it is also demands the right to safe abortion care for all women.

Helena Zweifel Coordinator aidsfocus.ch Executive Director Medicus Mundi Switzerland

1. September 2012 - The Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) and networks in several countries across the world joined the September 28: Global Campaign for the Decriminalisation of Abortion. Today, SRHR networks and organisations in Poland, Tanzania, Nigeria, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nepal, and Japan are mobilising in their communities and building awareness about the impact of restrictive abortion laws, lack of adequate abortion services, and barriers to accessing those services- all of which are violations of their human rights.

WGNRR invites the international community of SRHR activists to join the September 28: Global Campaign for the Decriminalisation of Abortion by sending solidarity letters to six countries that are in need of international support. Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic continue to uphold the complete ban on abortion in any circumstances, even if it is necessary to save the life of the woman. Currently in Colombia 99% of abortions performed in the country remain illegal and occur in unsafe conditions. Poland already has some of the strictest abortion restrictions in Europe and continues to run the risk of instigating a complete ban on abortion in all circumstances due to increasing conservative pressure. Show your solidarity and support with local, national, regional, and international struggles for reproductive justice by signing the solidarity letters:

http://www.wgnrr.org

In many areas of the world where HIV prevalence is high, rates of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion have also been shown to be high. Of all pregnancies worldwide in 2008, 41% were reported as unintended or unplanned, and approximately 50% of these ended in abortion. In this paper, the existing evidence related to global and country-specific barriers to safe abortion for all women is explored, with an emphasis on research gaps around the right of women living with HIV to choose safe abortion services as an option for dealing with unwanted pregnancies. The main focus is on the situation for women living with HIV in Brazil, Namibia and South Africa as examples of three countries with different conditions regarding women’s access to safe legal abortions. (Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2011)

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

This Good Practice Guide brings together expertise from the HIV/AIDS Alliance global community, current research and other key external materials and guides programmers in the integration of HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The guide provides detailed information on 14 integrated SRH and HIV interventions, including safe abortion and post-abortion care. It provides a ‘road map’ for thinking through what is meant by good practice in integrating SRH, rights and HIV at different levels. It shares examples and lessons learned of how civil society organisations and community-based programmes have integrated components of SRH and HIV into their programmes and provides links to other useful resources. Also available in French and Spanish. (2011)

http://www.aidsalliance.org

http://www.medicusmundi.ch

Partners: Afro-European Medical and Research Network, AIDS & Child, Caritas Switzerland, cinfo, CO-OPERAID, Déclaration de Berne, FEPA, Fédération Genevoise de Coopération, Gemeinschaft St. Anna-Schwestern, HEKS, IAMANEH Switzerland, Kindernothilfe Schweiz, Kwa Wazee, medico international Switzerland, mediCuba-Suisse, missio, SolidarMed, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Aids Federation, Missio, Mission 21, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund, Swiss Catholic Women's League, Swiss MIVA, Swiss Red Cross, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Tear Fund, Terre des hommes Foundation, terre des hommes schweiz, and World Vision Switzerland.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch