Abortion providers make reproductive choice possible for American women
and often offer critical support and care. At Ipas, our mission is to
make safe, legal, high-quality abortion care available for all women and
we are privileged to work with skilled and compassionate abortion
providers around the world.
Today we thank and honor providers such as Kenyan midwife Monica Oguttu, who says she will “never look back or be stopped from advocating for safe abortion,” and Dr. Joseph Nyamu, also of Kenya, who was targeted by police in 2004 for providing abortions.
With an eye to the future, we also honor young health professionals
who are embracing the provision of safe abortion care as part of the
continuum of reproductive health care. Their commitment is exemplified
by the six young midwives from Nigeria, Jamaica and other nations who
were part of the Ipas delegation at the International Confederation of
Midwives Triennial Congress last year. Listen to their stories of why abortion care is an important component in midwifery.
Ipas’s work with the International Federation of Medical Students
Associations (IFMSA) also recognizes the importance of training future
providers. It inspires young medical students such as Cephas Avoka
of Ghana to get involved in training medical students from around the
world on the importance of safe abortion access for women’s health.
We also salute providers in the United States, where an onslaught of
restrictive state laws are making women travel further, wait longer and
endure medically unnecessary procedures and counseling in order to
exercise their legal right to abortion care. Dr. Willie Parker is one
provider who is undaunted by these political attacks. Like many
providers around the world, he believes that providing care is an act of faith.
“Far too often, providers face harassment, stigmatization and sometimes even physical harm,” says Ipas President and CEO Liz Maguire. “Today, and every day, Ipas is grateful for the efforts of health-care providers around the world. Their dedicated work has been and will continue to be critical in ensuring that no woman or girl anywhere dies because she lacks safe reproductive choices.”
For more information, contact [email protected]