ipas.orgIpas | Health. Access. Rights.

Sign up for updates Donate Now About Us Our Leadership Media Center Our Strategic Framework Giving to Ipas Our Work Where We Work Resources COVID-19 response We believe in a world where every person can determine their own future. Ipas is the only international organization solely focused on expanding access to abortion and contraception. Why abortion? Because if people don’t have the right to make fundamental decisions about their own bodies and health, they can’t fully enjoy the human rights to which we are all entitled. We know the right to an abortion is not a standalone right. It depends upon people also having other human rights: to health, to equality, to live free from violence and discrimination. That’s why Ipas works with diverse local, regional and international partners toward the goal of reproductive justice: a world where all human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled. We strive to integrate abortion rights into the broader movements for health-care access, gender equality and social justice. Our work is urgent Abortion is health care. But not everyone has access. Each year, 35 million people around the world resort to having an abortion with unsafe methods. Due to global health inequities, almost all are Black or brown and live in developing countries. Millions of women and girls suffer serious, often permanent, injuries as a result of unsafe abortion, and tens of thousands die. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Around the world, we strive to improve reproductive health services, increase access to these services, and expand sexual and reproductive rights . Time to put lives over politics: Repeal the Helms Amendment Read Ipas’s statement on President Biden’s “Memorandum on Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad” JANUARY 28, 2021 Read Ipas’s reaction to Roe v Wade statement from the Biden Administration JANUARY 22, 2021 Ugandan medical student speaks out on Helms Amendment The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act , introduced in the U.S. Congress on July 29 by Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, would repeal the Helms Amendment—a racist policy that for nearly 50 years has denied access to abortion services to Black and brown women living in low- and middle-income countries. U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky: ‘It’s past time for the Helms Amendment to fall’ Read more from our conversation with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky In historic shift, Argentina legalizes abortion The tireless work of abortion rights advocates paid off on Dec. 30 when Argentina’s senate voted to legalize abortion —an historic shift after the senate rejected a similar bill just two years ago. “This momentous vote in Argentina is a victory for women’s rights, for justice and for equality—and will have an immediate impact for people across Argentina,” says Anu Kumar, Ipas president and CEO. AP Photo/ Natacha Pisarenko Read more We Stand for Justice As committed human rights advocates and caring neighbors, we join in the nation’s collective outrage and pain following the killing of George Floyd and the brutal treatment of so many Black people and people of color. We stand with Black communities around the country in frustration, in anger, in pain and in protest. Read the full statement White supremacy in global health “In the global health and human rights community, where I sit professionally, there’s been a lot of discussion in the last few years about decolonizing global health,” writes Ipas President and CEO Anu Kumar in a piece published by Think Global Health. “What we don’t talk about explicitly enough, however, is how white supremacy operates in this sector… The linkages between colonialism and patriarchy, between racial justice and gender justice are undeniable. They have—and still do—oppress Black and brown women.” Read her piece More on decolonizing health care America must stop using international aid to export anti-abortion ideology by Ipas’s Anu Kumar and Patty Skuster in The New Humanitarian read now Decolonizing health care: A Facebook Live conversation with Ipas’s Anu Kumar and SisterSong’s Monica Simpson. watch now Making facemasks to help refugees stay safe in Kenya Recognizing the urgent need for facemasks, the refugee-led organization Resilience Action International (RAI) partnered with Ipas to quickly begin making masks for elders, disabled people, single mothers, female entrepreneurs and others in need. Learn how the pandemic is impacting abortion care Our impact in 2020 396,600 Unsafe abortions we helped avert * 809,900 Unintended pregnancies we helped avert * 2,314,090 Contraceptive care methods we provided * Modeled using Impact 2 (v4) Marie Stopes International 2016 Abortion self-care is health care. In humanitarian crises, abortion care can be provided quickly and effectively. We’ve learned that when we work to empower women, we need to include men in the process if we want to see real change. Watch Bolivian youth leaders Alexander Huayta Lugarani and his girlfriend Kosset Anahi Mamani Coaquira talk about their work to break down machismo and show young people that men can play a crucial role in supporting women’s reproductive rights. More about Ipas’s work to advance gender equity Featured story -- Ipas to lead new regional network for safe abortion in Francophone Africa Featured story -- Social media campaign in DRC reaches youth with abortion information Featured story -- Across Bolivia, Ipas materials will help public schools teach sexual violence prevention during the pandemic Featured story -- Abortion, sexuality, global health and more: A chat with South Africa’s ‘Dr T’ Featured story -- As sexual violence continues to rise in Nigeria, Ipas and partners advocate for state-level protections Donate Now Sign up for updates ABOUT US Our Leadership Our Strategic Framework About Giving Media Center Working at Ipas OUR WORK WHERE WE WORK RESOURCES For health professionals For trainers Follow Us Job Opportunities Annual Report Contact Us Privacy, GDPR, Content & Copyright Policies Ethics at Ipas ©1998-2020 Ipas. All rights reserved. This site uses cookies to collect analytics and process donations. By clicking 'Accept', you agree to these uses. Accept Deny Privacy policy...