“Abortion, a cornerstone of gender equality and an essential element in achieving the SDGs,” said Shobha Shukla, Coordinator of SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity and Rights), emphasizing that abortion is an essential and vital sexual and reproductive health service, “a fundamental human right and a central element of reproductive freedom and justice.”
“We support the call for accessible, safe, legal, and stigma-free abortion for all,” said the Coordinator of SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity and Rights), founding Executive Director of the CNS, who recently spoke out to champion this cause.
In her speech, notably at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF 2025) in New York, Ms. Shukla issued a clear call to world leaders and governments: urgent action is needed. She emphasized the need to repeal all laws and policies that restrict or criminalize access to abortion, including self-managed care.
However, she deplored an alarming setback as the 2030 SDG deadline approaches: “We are now witnessing a coordinated backlash against abortion rights and broader human rights movements,” she said, emphasizing that this opposition also affects the rights of people of diverse gender identities and feminist movements.
For her, the solution lies in inter-sectional, inter-generational, and inter-movement solidarity. By joining forces, human rights defenders can amplify their demands and promote concrete actions to ensure reproductive freedom and justice for all.
She explained that abortion is much more than just a medical procedure. It is an “essential sexual and reproductive health service, a fundamental human right, and an essential component of reproductive freedom and justice,” Ms. Shoukla emphasized.
As a reminder, World Safe Abortion Day is celebrated on September 28th each year. It aims to defend women’s right to control their own bodies and to access safe and legal abortions, while fighting against illegal abortions, which are responsible for th ousands of deaths. (publié en anglais) ce 9 septembre 2025. /
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