Leila Hessini Director, Community Engagement and Mobilization Ipas December 14, 2010
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Transcript of Leila Hessini Director, Community Engagement and Mobilization Ipas December 14, 2010
Leila HessiniDirector, Community Engagement and
MobilizationIpas
December 14, 2010
21 2 million unsafe ach year – affecting >100 million women during their reproductive lifetimes
47000 deaths per year, 93% in Africa and South-central Asia
Over half of deaths are young women <24
Source: WHO, 2008
Estimated annual numbers of Estimated annual numbers of unsafe abortions (2008 Total = unsafe abortions (2008 Total =
21.2 million21.2 millionLatin Latin
America America andand
CaribbeanCaribbean4.2 million4.2 million
AfricaAfrica6.1 million6.1 million
AsiaAsia10.8 10.8
millionmillion
EuropeEurope0.3 million0.3 million
(Source: WHO, 2008
Close to 40% of pregnancies are unplanned
80 million unintended pregnancies each year (27 million as a result of method failure or ineffective use)
Preventing unintended is critical to reducing unsafe abortions
14 million unintended in Africa Various factors: sexual violence,
pregnancy outside of marriage, lack of knowledge, access to or use of contraception
1/3rd of all unintended end of abortedAge pattern of unintended
pregnancies is changing – many more young women
In addition to death, unsafe abortion can lead to: •1.7 million hospitalized annually
•Significant short- and long-term illness and injury to women
•Infertility
•Negative impacts on women, families, children, and communities
•Increased likelihood of death among children whose mother has died
Without Restriction as to ReasonSocioeconomic GroundsTo Preserve Mental HealthTo Preserve Physical Health Legally Permitted to Save a Woman's Life
Treatment for unsafe abortion costs health systems up to $1 billion per year
OB/GYN hospital capacity often overwhelmed by post-abortion patients
Post-abortion care significantly more expensive than safe abortion (or contraception)
Unsafe abortion can also reflect the overall quality of health systems.
WHO; Guttmacher
Analysis of medieval Arabic texts
Compiling supportive fatwas Supporting women religious leaders
Legal and policy reformHealth system changeNetworking across regions
Coitus interruptus encouraged others as long as there was mutual consent.
Abortion: debates regarding pregnant women’s circumstances; fetal age and analysis of if more harm would be caused by continuing or by ending the pregnancy.
Maternal life carried precedence over that of the foetus at least until “ensoulment” defined as occurring anywhere between 40, 90 or 120 days.
Abortions after ensoulment were prohibited unless there was “just cause” – usually defined as saving a women’s life or their health
The lives of existing children were also considered more important than that of the fetus; breast-feeding women or mothers who could not afford another child were allowed to terminate a pregnancy.
Algeria (1998) rape victims of Islamist violence
Egypt (1998) for unmarried women who had been raped
Saudi Arabia (1991) and Iran (2005) in cases of fetal abnormalities
Indonesia (2004) rape and incest
Training women - mourshidat – Islamic scholars and spiritual guides
Working through the pesantren, - Muslim boarding schools – to incorporate information on SRHR into school curricula
Building global networks – musawah - gender equality in Islam
Islam is a strong presence in women’s lives, but it does not necessarily govern women’s everyday reproductive and sexual choices
Women often rely on their belief in God’s compassion rather than on the opinions of religious authorities.
Women may simultaneously believe that abortion is “harem” but yet necessary and even justified
Young and unmarried women experience much more shame and stigma
Women’s social networks are an important source of information, transportation and resources for women seeking abortion care.
Tunisia: and Tunisia: 1973 and 1982Algeria (1985) and Benin (2003)Burkina Faso (1996) and Chad
(2002)Djibouti (1995) and Guinea (2000) Indonesia (1992) Iran (1991), Kuwait
(1981), Mali (2002) Niger (2006),Pakistan (1990), Saudi Arabia (1990)
Sudan (1993) and Togo (2007).
Menstrual regulation Medical abortion Training midlevel providers and
midwives Ensuring that women have knowledge,
skills and ability to obtain safe abortion services
Ensuring that women have safe abortion information and care in their communities
Compile existing resources into a database and toolkit
Develop training and capacity-building curricula for community education
Engender awareness and support from religious leaders and individuals at community level
Share experiences across countries (study tours)
AboutLaw and Policy
Gender & Rights
Country – Specific
Related Sites
Tabs
SEARCH
Welcome!Intro
Drop-Down Lists maybe
We could use these side tabs to reorganize the resources in another conceptual manner, if need be, for example: Abortion, FP, Contraceptives, ETC.
Standard contact links at the bottom
SRH and Islam