International Safe Abortion Day (Sept. 28)

On this International Safe Abortion Day, France strongly reaffirms that every woman should have full autonomy over her body. It expresses its solidarity with all women, far too many of whom are still deprived of this right and calls on the entire international community to take measures to ensure that women can enjoy their sexual and reproductive rights and health without hindrance, including during emergency or crisis situations.

The right to abortion is a fundamental right, inherent in the right to have control of one’s own body. It is essential for achieving gender equality and it must be possible to exercise this right in satisfactory conditions of safety, respect, and dignity. Failure to respect this right forces some women to resort to so-called illegal abortions carried out in unsafe conditions. In some parts of the world, these abortions reportedly account for more than 10% of maternal deaths.

In the context of the Generation Equality Forum in Paris in June 2021 jointly organized together with UN Women and Mexico, France reaffirms its commitment to the rights of women and girls, which is central to its feminist diplomacy. In this context, it has announced €5 million in support of the Centre ODAS (Organisation pour le Dialogue pour l’Avortement Sécurisé) [Organization for Safe Abortion Dialogue], supported by the NGO Ipas in order to improve access to safe abortions in the countries of West and Central Africa.