[Justyna Wydrzyńska, Simon Peter Kayondo, Dephine O, Cecile Wendnonga Thiombiano/ Yougbaré, Guillermo Ortiz] In this FIGO Long Read, we look back at the global solidarity event that took place at Paris City Hall on 11 October 2023 to claim access and defend the right to abortion care. ‘We must not lose hope, it is important that we do not stop engaging with the anti-choicers. We must continue to take small steps (to strengthen access to safe abortion care), repeatedly. They create windows of opportunities for change.’
Dr Simon Peter Kayondo is an obstetrician-gynaecologist and Project Coordinator at the Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Uganda (AOGU). Within AOGU, he works on FIGO’s Advocating for Safe Abortion Project, and he is also a member of the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ECSACOG) – FIGO Community of Practice.
In October 2022, the first Community of Practice (COP) – a partnership between the East, Central, and Southern Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ECSACOG) and FIGO’s Advocating for Safe Abortion Project – was hosted in Rwanda.
To mark International Safe Abortion Day (ISAD) 2022, FIGO interviewed member societies who have partnered with us to implement the Advocating for Safe Abortion Project. They shared details of their activities that highlight the links between safe abortion and preventable maternal deaths, the need for advocacy to overcome barriers to abortion care, and opportunities for the future.