ABORTION rights Overview You're not free when you can't make decisions about what you do with your own body. You're not free when you can’t make decisions what you do with your future. Everyone has a right to control their own fertility and exercise reproductive autonomy. This is particularly important for all women, girls and people who can become pregnant.And yet there are still countless barriers that prevent people from seeking abortions, including criminalisation, social stigma and intersectional discrimination and marginalisation. We need your help to achieve real and effective change. A future where abortion rights are respected will be built by countless acts of support, both big and small. Through our 7000 Ways to Support Abortion Rights campaign, we're coming up with creative ways to tell the world that abortion rights are human rightsWhat is abortion and why is it necessary? An abortion is a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy. It is basic healthcare needed by millions of women, girls and people who can get pregnant. It’s estimated that one in four pregnancies ends in an abortion every year. In places where abortion is legal and accessible and where there is less stigma, people can get abortions safely and with no risk. However, in places where abortionis stigmatised, criminalised or restricted, people are forced to resort to unsafe abortions. It is estimated that 25 million unsafe abortions take place every year, the vast majority of them in developing countries, and can lead to fatal consequences such as maternal deaths and disabilities. All people have a right to bodily autonomy which is another reason why anyone who can become pregnant should be able to get an abortion. However, many people, especially those from historically marginalised communities, face social, economic and politicalconditions which hinder their ability to exercise reproductive autonomy. ©Getty Images Everyone has a right to bodily autonomy which is why anyone who can get pregnant should be able to get an abortion. What is reproductivejustice? Black and intersectional feminists in the USA coined the term ‘reproductive justice’ to recognise that gender equality, sexual and reproductive rights and social justice are strongly interrelated. Reproductive justice addresses issues of population control, bodily self-determination, immigrants’ rights, economic and environmental justice, sovereignty, and militarism and criminal injustices that limit individual human rights because of group or community oppressions.Loretta J. Ross — academic, feminist and activist from the USA The reproductive justice movement demands that states address social, economic and political inequalities which prevent people from the most marginalised communities from being able to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights. Video courtesy of Color of Change on Youtube. Barriers to accessingabortion When people are denied access to abortion due to criminalisation, restrictive laws and other barriers, their ability to exercise reproductive autonomy and enjoy their human rights is undermined. But laws are not the only thing stopping people from seeking abortions. Some people are not able to get an abortion because they can't afford to take time off work for appointments or because they can'tafford to travel to another country or state to receive care. People who need abortions are also confronted by social stigma that makes it difficult for them to exercise their rights. Creating a better future where abortion rights are guaranteed for all does not end with the decriminalisation of abortion. We must also address the deeply rooted, social, cultural and economic barriers that make it more difficult for people to exercise their reproductive rights.©Bruno Fert Protest for supporting the right to abortion in Paris, 6 May 2022. Criminalisation of abortion People face all kinds of barriers to accessing abortion around the world. In some countries — like theUnited States, Sierra Leone, Poland and Morocco — getting an abortion, or helping someone have an abortion is criminalised. The laws that restrict abortion vary between countries, with some places like Equatorial Guinea and Zambia issuing life imprisonment to those who seek an abortion. There are other laws in place to penalise people who assist others in seeking an abortion. In some countries, there are laws that only allow abortion in specific circumstances. These exceptions include when pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, if there is a severeand fatal injury to the foetus, or if the pregnancy presents a threat to the life or health of the pregnant person. However, only a small portion of abortions are due to these reasons, meaning these narrow exceptions still prevent most people from fully exercising their reproductive rights. The criminalisation of abortion has a compounding impact on those who are already marginalised. Health services, in general, are less accessible to people on low income, refugees and migrants, LGBT| people and racialized andIndigenous people. That means it is more difficult for some people seek safe services in another country or access private care. Despite decades of stigma and misinformation about abortions, most people agree that abortion should be legal. However, many people feel like they don’t know how to speak out and show their support, which is why the loud anti-abortion minority often dominates the narrative.©Lauren Murphy/Amnesty International USA Amnesty International USA protested for the right to abortion near the Supreme court in Washington DC on 26 March 2024.CRIMINALIZATION 8 ISNOTT SOLUTION! © Zainab Fasiki / Amnesty International Case Study: Morocco Ouiam* is from a rural family living in poverty. She got married at 16 and had a child. Shortly after, herhusband was killed in a car accident. Twice, she entered into relationships with other men to “get protection” for herself and her child and became pregnant from each of them. Both times she sought and was unable to obtain an abortion. In Morocco abortion is criminalised in almost all circumstances and clandestine abortions are unaffordable for women living in poverty. When Ouiam’s last attempt to have an abortion failed, she filed a complaint with the gendarmerie that the biological father did not want to acknowledge paternity. Both sheand the man were arrested; she was charged with sexual relations outside of marriage and sentenced to four months in prison and a fine. The man’s wife decided not to pursue a complaint for adultery, so he walked free. Ouiam went into labour at home 20 days after her release from prison. Her delivery was hard, and she faced several complications. She got shunned by her community and could not find a job. She decided to put her children in an orphanage to prevent them from being mistreated in the community.“| suffered from my pregnancy alone, with no help, in addition to the harassment and the living conditions in prison. Now, my kids live in an orphanage. My mother blames me. If | could have had an abortion, my life wouldn't be hell. | don’t have my health, nor a job, nor the respect of others, not even my children, nothing.” *Name changed to protect identity Social stigma of abortionEven in countries where abortion is legal, it might be difficult to access because of factors like cost, distance to services, social stigma or religiously reinforced conservative attitudes. For example, medical staff might — and do - refuse to provide abortions on grounds of conscience or religion. ©Getty Images©Getty Images Even though abortion was recently decriminalised in Northern Ireland, uneven and obstructed access to services and abortion stigma still prevent people from getting the abortion care they need. Case Study: NorthernIreland Louise* was in a relationship with a man she had been with for three years when she fell pregnant for the first time. Louise told Amnesty that, despite always knowing she wanted to have children, the relationship she was in was unsafe. “Throughout the early days of my pregnancy | experienced abuse, physical and mental, and when my then partner physically assaulted me, leaving with me injuries, | knew that | couldn’t go through with the pregnancy. It was unsafe for me andany future child to be in this environment.” Louise* Despite abortion being decriminalized in Northern Ireland, Louise was unable to access abortion services, as she lives ina remote village. Travelling to England, where there is better access to abortion, was not an option due to costs. Louise decided to obtain abortion pills online and self-administer an abortion, which is illegal in many countries around the world, including Northern Ireland. “| felt like | had no choice. It would cost over two hundred pounds to goto England, and then | would have had to explain why | was travelling there. | couldn't access an abortion through my local healthcare clinic as the village is so small, | was worried someone would find out. | bought pills online and self- administered an abortion at home, which was a terrifying, isolating and painful experience.” For people in Northern Ireland like Louise, abortion is a lifesaving procedure that can ensure they can live with dignity and autonomy over themselves and their futures. “| look forward to having a child oneday, in a time and place in which | feel safe to do so. Had | been forced to continue with the pregnancy at that time, | fear myself or the child may have ended up in a very dangerous situation.”