Bust the myths: World marks Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortions

Today marks the Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortions, a movement which seeks to decriminalise and demystify abortion, fight abortion stigma and discrimination.

To commemorate the day, lobby group Love Matters, in partnership with WGNRR, has been running an online campaign to “promote better understanding of the implications that unsafe abortions have on the well-being and health of people in our target regions”.

There are numerous myths and speculations on abortion and the campaign aims to raise awareness and “bust the many myths around abortion”.

The campaign seeks to raise awareness and assert that every woman and girl has the inalienable right to make decisions regarding her body.

Advocates of the campaign have produced information on the myths using various campaigns such as social media and fact sheets on abortion. The hashtag #BustTheMyths has been created to share messages on the issue and the myths the campaign seeks to debunk include the misconception that “individuals are either pro-choice or pro-life”.

Abortion is still a criminal offence in numerous countries across the globe and many women and girls die each year from unsafe abortions.

The global movement is essentially a push for “governments to decriminalize abortion, to provide access to safe and affordable abortion services and to end stigma and discrimination towards women who choose to have an abortion,” WGNRR noted.

Source: WGNRR