Every country, both in the global south and north, will have a different answer to this. In general, women and girls will face significant restrictions in safe and timely access to essential sexual and reproductive health services, in particular timely abortion care, post-abortion care and emergency anticonception. Such restrictions disproportionately affect persons belonging to marginalised groups, including women living in poverty, women with disabilities, women belonging to ethnocultural minorities (e.g. Roma women), migrants, stateless women, adolescents and women at risk of domestic and sexual violence.
In Belgium the abortion and family planning centres try to guarantee the best possible access to a safe abortion. However, in many countries, access to abortion and other sexual and reproductive health services is under pressure. The majority of the global healthcare personnel consists of women. They are now largely deployed to fight the corona pandemic and at the same time are at greatest risk of contracting the virus. As a result, essential personnel, who normally work in reproductive care, will no longer be available. This shortage of medically trained staff that is able to provide sexual and reproductive health services can thus increase waiting times for patients in need. In places where there is already a shortage of medical staff, this will put medical care under extreme pressure, especially if authorities decide to classify them as 'non-urgent'.
Not only is health personnel deployed differently, but the financing of contraception and abortion care is also diverted to the fight against Covid-19 in certain countries. However, the HIV epidemic has taught us that the funding for this type of epidemic should not be diverted from existing services to ensure the continuity of care and to not undermine health and other rights.
Marie Stopes International, one of the largest NGOs providing safe abortion care and family planning in the Global South, estimates that the decline in reproductive health services could lead to as many as 3 million additional unplanned pregnancies, 2.7 million unsafe abortions and 11,000 pregnancy-related deaths.
Not only is health personnel deployed differently, but the financing of contraception and abortion care is also diverted to the fight against Covid-19 in certain countries. However, the HIV epidemic has taught us that the funding for this type of epidemic should not be diverted from existing services to ensure the continuity of care and to not undermine health and other rights.
Marie Stopes International, one of the largest NGOs providing safe abortion care and family planning in the Global South, estimates that the decline in reproductive health services could lead to as many as 3 million additional unplanned pregnancies, 2.7 million unsafe abortions and 11,000 pregnancy-related deaths.
RSS Feed