07/07/22

Debate: Is reproductive health safe in the global South?

8M_2019_Santa_Fe,_Argentina_-_Lara_Va_07_(cropped)
A woman at a pro-abortion rally in Argentina. Copyright: Lara Va, CC BY-SA 4.0

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THE LIVE SESSION OF THIS DEBATE TOOK PLACE ON 7th JULY 2022

The US Supreme Court has voted to abolish the right to abortion – a decision that global health advocates fear will have worldwide implications. The biggest concern is that US lawmakers might now make use of a ‘global gag rule’ which gives them the right to block all federal funding to non-US organisations that provide abortion services or information.

SciDev.Net brought together an expert panel to debate whether reproductive health services in the global South are in jeopardy in light of the court’s decision. The panel examined reproductive health campaigns across the global South and considered whether legal decisions in the US will have repercussions elsewhere.

Panel included:

Sarah Hawkes, director of the Centre for Gender and Global Health at University College London; co-director of Global Health 50/50

Rasha Khoury, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Boston University; board member of Médecins Sans Frontières USA

Catalina de la Mar Calderón, campaigns and programmes director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Women’s Equality Center

Marleen Temmerman, head of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at Aga Khan University East Africa; board member for academic, research and training institutes at the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

Rajib Acharya, senior associate at the Population Council India

Martin Onyango, associate director of legal strategies for Africa at the Center for Reproductive Rights

Rebecca Dennis, associate director of US policy and advocacy at PAI (Population Action International)