Programmes

Safe Abortion for Everyone

Abortion

The Safe Abortion For Everyone (SAFE) programme is dedicated to safe abortion awareness and advocacy in India. It aims to examine common myths and misconceptions around abortion among young people, and enable access to technically correct and unbiased information, services and rights.

International Safe Abortion Day – Leeza Mangaldas on “Myths about Abortion”

Safe Abortion For Everyone (SAFE) programme advocates for comprehensive abortion services in India by generating evidence through research and encouraging youth-led advocacy through our multilingual online courses and fellowships.

The Safe Abortion For Everyone (SAFE) Programme uses a multi-pronged approach to improve access to resources and information around safe and legal abortion services. The programme achieves this through evidence generation, capacity building, and youth-led advocacy. We have conducted exploratory research on the widespread myths and misconceptions on abortion in Assam, Delhi and Kerala. Along with research and knowledge creation, the programme also capacitates young people with the skills and awareness required to take action through free online courses which are rights-based, intersectional, and youth-friendly. These courses have been made available in 3 languages—Assamese, English and Malayalam. In addition, SAFE also runs a fellowship that builds capacities of young people in advocating for the abortion rights of different marginalised communities. The programme also consistently engages in social media campaigns which work to generate awareness among young people about abortion rights and access, address the social stigma around abortion, and tackle misinformation and harmful rhetorics around abortion amongst its audience.

  • Jorhat, Assam
  • Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
  • Delhi NCR
Assessing Youth Friendliness of Abortion Services- Audit Report
Assessing Youth Friendliness of Abortion Services- Audit Report

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Towards Choice Autonomy and Rights: An Action Agenda for Abortion Rights
Towards Choice Autonomy and Rights: An Action Agenda for Abortion Rights (English)

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Towards Choice Autonomy and Rights: An Action Agenda for Abortion Rights (Hindi)

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Towards Choice Autonomy and Rights: An Action Agenda for Abortion Rights (Malayalam)

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Towards Choice Autonomy and Rights: An Action Agenda for Abortion Rights (Assamese)

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Abortion Stigma in Delhi NCR
Abortion Stigma in Delhi NCR

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Assessing Youth-Friendliness of Abortion Services
Assessing Youth-Friendliness of Abortion Services

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Myths and Misconceptions around Abortion in India
Myths and Misconceptions around Abortion in India

Fifty years into enacting the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971, abortion continues to be a contested topic in India. The several myths and misconception around abortion reinforce the stigma that further poses a barrier for pregnant persons in accessing safe and comprehensive abortion services. While there are no exclusive studies conducted on such myths and misconceptions, however, research on abortion providers, unmarried and married abortion seekers in urban and rural spaces have documented statements reflecting them. This document consolidates such statements, and also provides scientific responses against them.

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Addressing Abortion Stigma for Better Advocacy
Illustrations Addressing Abortion Stigma

Thes illustrations help address societal stigma around abortion and advocate for access to reproductive rights.

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Listening to Women: Impact of COVID-19 on Abortion Services in India
Listening to Women

We contributed to a multi-site qualitative study in eight states conducted after the first phase lockdown between October and December 2020.

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Research: SAFE conducted qualitative- exploratory research to trace sources of the myths/misconceptions among the two marginalised communities- tea plantation workers in the Jorhat district of Assam and traditional fisherfolk community of Karimkulam Gram Panchayat from Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. The primary research aimed to explore how induced abortion is perceived as a reproductive health and rights issue. Along with these, another qualitative study was undertaken in Delhi among young people across class groups to understand their perspectives on abortion, and to identify sources and pathways of stigma around abortion. The findings from these studies will be presented in academic publications and also through the preparation of advocacy tools in collaboration with government and community stakeholders.

Capacity Building: The SAFE programme has created an online training course that aims to increase young people’s knowledge about the basics of abortion, the laws and access to abortion services within the health systems in India, and the framework of abortion stigma. The 5-week course is delivered using a rights-based, intersectional, and youth-friendly approach that will enable the creation of a stigma-free environment to discuss abortion rights. The training covers topics on public health relevance of abortion, technical aspects of abortion, politics of abortion, abortion as a human right, representation of abortion in media and culture, methods and types of advocacy, and planning advocacy initiatives around abortion. The course is available in 3 languages: English, Assamese, and Malayalam.

SAFE also runs a fellowship programme where it equips young advocates with knowledge tools and resources to undertake abortion advocacy. The fellowship programme aims to support fellows’ initiative on filling existing knowledge gaps on the current abortion discourse and to take up advocacy actions with an inclusive and rights-based approach. Currently, SAFE is running its second batch of fellowships under which fellows have mapped and audited the availability and youth-friendliness of health facilities that offer abortion services within their respective districts. They will be implementing their advocacy actions that are borne out of their findings and inquiry.

Campaigning: Through our social media platforms, we are continuously engaging with young people on abortion. This is done by sharing experiences on where people first heard about abortion and what shaped their views on it, thought pieces on abortion as a right, unbiased and youth-friendly information on abortion, and updates on the current laws on abortion, including the changes being made to it.

Abortion Institute: SAFE Abortion Institute constitutes of various organisations from across the country that works with diverse marginalized groups and has a shared vision to create sexual and reproductive health services and abortion accessible to everyone regardless of one’s gender, caste, disability, and economic status. The Institute aims to document and add to already existing narratives on abortion of how abortion seekers from different socio-cultural groups navigate through different barriers for accessing different SRHR services. A series of participatory workshops and meetings will be held from December 2021 to February 2022 to discuss and deliberate on abortion and SRHR services from an intersectional lens. The Institute is also envisaged as a way to integrate diverse communities through organisations into the ongoing abortion campaigns and advocacy at local, national, and international levels, and thereby diversifying the current abortion discourse.

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