HRC48: We demand free, safe and accessible abortion for everyone, NOW!
To commemorate the International Safe Abortion Day, ISHR joined 372 organisations as well as women human rights defenders working to prevent maternal deaths, including through ensuring safe abortions, to demand free, safe and accessible abortion for everyone, NOW!
The joint statement was delivered at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council by ISHR, Center for Reproductive Rights, Sexual Rights Initiative, and Association for Women’s Rights in Development. This demand is rooted in the context of Abortion Policies: A Global Review Volume I: Afghanistan to France.
The Struggle for Reproductive Human Rights
The Vienna Declaration is now 28 years old. The ICPD Programme of Action is now 27 years old. The Beijing Declaration is now 26 years old. And women are still not considered fully human, entitled to the rights enshrined in all these documents. If we were, we would not be dying in the hundreds of thousands every year because of violations to our sexual and reproductive rights.
This International Safe Abortion Day, we demand our human rights to free, safe and accessible abortion, NOW. Not after the pandemic, not after the never ending economic crises, not after whatever issue that is considered more important, NOW.
Maternal Mortality and the Impact of Unsafe Abortion
Today and every day more than 800 women and girls will die because States do not consider us worthy to enjoy even the most basic human rights. Each year between 4.7% – 13.2% of maternal deaths can be attributed to unsafe abortion.
Maternal mortality estimates per year by the WHO
According to the provided data, the maternal mortality estimates per year are as follows:
- Afghanistan: 7700
- Algeria: 1200
- Angola: 3000
- Bangladesh: 5100
- Benin: 1600
- Bolivia (Plurinational State of): 380
- Brazil: 1700
- Burkina Faso: 2400
- Burundi: 2400
- Cameroon: 4700
- Chad: 7300
- China: 4900
- Côte D’Ivoire: 5400
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: 16000
- Ethiopia: 14000
- Ghana: 2700
- Guinea: 2600
- Haiti: 1300
- India: 35000
- Indonesia: 8600
- Kenya: 5000
- Madagascar: 2800
- Malawi: 2100
- Mali: 4400
- Mauritania: 1100
- Mozambique: 3100
- Myanmar: 2400
- Nepal: 1100
- Niger: 5100
- Nigeria: 67000
- Pakistan: 8300