On International Safe Abortion Day, Doctors of the World gives a voice to the healthcare professionals who, every day, support people who have abortions.
Through more than 47 testimonies gathered in 15 countries, in contexts as different as Myanmar, France, Benin, and Mexico, the report Caring and Resistance: Voices of Healthcare Workers Advocating for the Right to Abortion lets us hear the voices of gynecologists, midwives, doctors, social support workers, and other professionals committed to access to abortion. These accounts reflect the diversity of the realities faced by people seeking an abortion, and describe what it means to provide support when access to abortion is obstructed, stigmatized, or criminalized. They speak of the obstacles and violence encountered, but also of the strength that can be found in commitment, solidarity, and the ability to act.
Listening, informing, supporting: making a free and informed decision possible
“Our role is to ensure person-centered care, to provide clear information, to offer support without judgement and to respect their autonomy.”
For the healthcare professionals we spoke to, supporting someone through an abortion means enabling a free and informed decision, without judgement and without anyone deciding in their place.
“Care is not only about treating a person’s body: it can also restore dignity, safety and trust.”
But when laws or healthcare practices stand in the way, the consequences can be devastating.
“I have often told myself that if I had simply referred her to the right services, she might still be alive today. This experience profoundly changed my perception of abortion and of the responsibility of healthcare professionals. It was a turning point in my career.”
“Restrictive laws do not stop people from needing an abortion. They only remove the possibility of a safe abortion and punish the most vulnerable women.”
When care becomes an act of resistance
In many contexts, providing support can become a form of resistance. This is a resistance that is not only about opposing, but also about creating spaces of autonomy and taking back power over one’s health and body.
“For me too, it is a form of resistance. It is resisting stigma, and the idea that someone else can decide what we do with our bodies.”
Three lessons for action
The testimonies bring out three major issues, which complement Doctors of the World’s broader recommendations for guaranteeing the right to abortion and effective access to it:
- Protect those who make abortion possible, so that they can act without facing threats, violence, discrimination, or prosecution, in particular abortion care providers.
- Guarantee reliable information and change the narrative about abortion.
- Support feminist and community movements, and recognize and support self-managed medical abortion, which gives people more control over their own path.
Getting involved, speaking out, standing together: let’s act!
In the face of setbacks to sexual and reproductive rights and the rise of discourse that blames and stigmatizes abortion, silence and inaction are no longer options. Healthcare professionals and the people who support those having abortions have an essential role to play.
Care is an act of resistance. It’s up to us to make sure no one has to risk their health, their dignity, or their life to make decisions about their own body and future.