Right to safe abortion in Universal Health Care: Confronting anti-rights movements & subjectivities for a just world

Organised by Sama & FoS Feminista

Access to safe, legal abortion is a human rights issue and denying women, girls, and other pregnant people access to abortion is a form of discrimination and jeopardizes a range of human rights. The continuing rollback of abortion rights is a direct assault on the bodily autonomy and reproductive rights of individuals, calling for immediate attention as this holds negative consequences for women’s health and rights globally and for public health achievements at large. 

This assault and setback on reproductive rights and its global discourses have witnessed clear and meticulous opposition from the anti-rights actors and powerful lobby who are building up a movement to counter the feminist pro-people and gender justice assertions. 

These social and political developments are superimposed on the previously existing social inequalities that are fraught with health inequities and historical repression of marginalized communities and identities. 
Shrinking spaces for pro-people and human rights movements, systemic persecution of women and queer human rights defenders, and criminalizing healthcare providers for providing abortion and lifesaving care and treatment are testimonials to this development.

At the PHA5, Sama & FoS Feminista are bringing together a feminist collaboration to engage with the participants, health activists, feminists and public health experts to facilitate a dialogue toward confronting the odds and opposition facing the reproductive and gender justice movements. 

As the PHA 5 is being held in Argentina where the world has witnessed a strong green wave movement for abortion rights, we are full of optimism & renewed energy to be holding this conversation. At the end of the workshop, we hope to lay out the strategic involvement of the PHM through its gender thematic circle and strategic collaborations with the feminist groups and actors in the global south for making an action plan to be followed after the Assembly.