Oral

This session addresses worldwide abortion trends and provides in-depth analysis of programs in Nicaragua, Africa, Mexico, Peru and the US. Reliable information on abortion worldwide, and on regional variations in incidence is necessary to develop effective programs and policies. Two panelists will discuss the status of abortion rights in Mexico City, Nicaragua and Peru. In Mexico City, abortion is allowed up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. In Peru, therapeutic abortion is legal only to save the woman’s life or protect her health. Nicaragua disallows abortion under any circumstance, producing a chilling effect on emergency obstetric services. The third panelist will explore unsafe abortion practices in Kenya and Nigeria and the implications of these practices for women. The last two panelists will discuss restrictive abortion laws in the US and in US foreign policy including the Global Gag Rule, the Helms Amendment and the Hyde Amendment, which bans Medicaid coverage of abortion.

Session Objectives: 1) Identify the current situation of legal abortion in Mexico City, Nicaragua and Peru 2) Advocate for US policies that support reproductive rights with a priority on women living in the global south, whose health and lives are jeopardized by US abortion restrictions 3) Contribute to a global movement to defend against abortion restrictions with clear examples from outside the US of the hard to women’s health and lives when abortion is restricted 4) Discuss state and national advocacy efforts to restore public funding for abortion 5) Describe the impact of abortion funding restrictions on low-income women, women of color, immigrant women and young women