January 22nd 2015, Amsterdam – The International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) is proud to announce the launch of a training guide for future health professionals, Youth act for safe abortion in collaboration with Ipas. This guide is a resource for future health professionals who want to learn about and engage in abortion issues. It teaches the importance of safe abortion for womens health and rights; and it provides strategies young people can use to increase access to safe abortion for women of all ages around the world.
Unsafe abortion is a major cause of morbidity and mortality amongst women worldwide, and it is our duty as medical students to ensure we have adequate knowledge and understanding of the role safe and legal abortion plays in securing the lives of women – Kelly Thompson, IFMSA Liaison Officer for Reproductive Health, including HIV/AIDS.
Abortion is a critical but often neglected area of womens rights, womens health and health science education. Holding the principle of gender equity at the core of its activities, IFMSA strongly believes that all women should have full access and autonomy over the full range of their reproductive and sexual rights, including safe and legal abortion free of discrimination and stigma. The Federation has actively helped to develop this training guide so that future health professionals can use their trusted leadership amongst the community to reduce stigma associated with abortion and to practise in a health-focussed and evidence-based manner for the greatest health outcomes of their patients.
This resource has enabled our members to engage with and explore the current barriers to safe abortion, and is the first step towards ending stigma and discrimination against women and young girls seeking sexual and reproductive services in healthcare settings – Agostinho Sousa, IFMSA President.
In the past two years, IFMSA, supported by Ipas, has provided six international workshops on maternal health and access to safe abortions, reaching out to more than 100 medical students in more than 30 countries. The Federation has also organized a training for trainers, so that members can also run workshops of their own locally and nationally. To learn more about why safe abortion is important for medical students: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXynNWcM-K9cxpXEWhD-1hUlJVwRoWBMy.
About Ipas
Founded in 1973, Ipas is a global non-governmental organization dedicated to ending preventable deaths and disabilities from unsafe abortion. Through local, national and global partnerships, Ipas works to ensure that women can obtain safe, respectful and comprehensive abortion care, including counseling and contraception to prevent future unintended pregnancies.
About IFMSA
The International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) envisions a world in which all medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to take on health leadership roles locally and globally. Founded in 1951, IFMSA today represents a network of 1.3 million medical students through its 123 national member organizations. For more, visit www.ifmsa.org.
Contact
Claudel P-Desrosiers
IFMSA Vice-President for External Affairs
(t) +41 78 808 8610 | (e) [email protected]
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