No Peace Without Justice marks International Day of Action for the Decriminalization of Abortion by appealing to all States to enact and enforce legislation granting access to safe and legal abortion and calling on the United Nations General Assembly to adopt a resolution recognising this day and making it official in the UN calendar.

Unsafe abortion is a major human rights issue and public health disaster. Tens of thousands of women die every year and millions face complications because of restrictive laws that force women and girls to seek unsafe abortions, while others are imprisoned for having had or having sought to have an abortion. Around the world, 40 percent of women of childbearing age live in countries where abortion is banned, restricted or not accessible.

All States must ensure that women have full and unconditional control over their reproductive and health decisions. Criminalising abortion violates the rights of women, forcing them to take unsafe, clandestine measures that endanger their health and their lives.

Background
The Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion is a collaborative effort led by the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights, the International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion and the September 28 Campaign for the Decriminalization of Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean.

For more information check:  www.september28.org

For more information, contact Alvilda Jablonko, Director for Gender and Human Rights, on ajablonko@npwj.org, phone: +32 494 533 915 or Nicola Giovannini, email: ngiovannini@npwj.org, phone: +32 2 548 39 15.