Oral

Abortion remains a burning glass,a type of lens through which women's rights can be seen and through which persistent deficits in women's health can be understood. Despite longstanding international emphasis on improving maternal child health, particularly as expressed in the Millennium Development Goals, accessibility and safety of family planning and reproductive choice remain illusive for many women. Persistent stigma attached to abortion is partially responsible for the failure to make progress in achieving overall, broad-based goals for women's health and self sufficiency. The presentations in this session will serve as updates on both national and international progress, or lack thereof in the area of reproductive choice. In particular, women's participation in political processes, health care providers expanded understanding of the needs and barriers women face, as well as the role of United States' international policies regarding family planning will illustrate unresolved problems that remain that women face as they move forward, assuming new social roles and taking on new, non-traditional responsibilities.

Session Objectives: 1.Describe the impact of institutional, national or international policies on women's ability to access safe pregnancy termination, as well as safe and compassionate services in the setting of spontaneous pregnancy loss. 2. Identify how reproductive rights policies impact on the overall availability and quality of women's' health care. 3. Discuss reproductive decision making in locales where abortion rights do not exist or where their existence is tenuous.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)