Photo exhibition
Siding with science for healthy outcomes
Celebrating access to safe abortion care for the health and rights of women and girls
11 – 22 March 2024, United Nations General Assembly, New York, NY - 1B Corridor
Access to the highest attainable standard of health, including sexual and reproductive health, is a core human right. The year 2024 is a landmark year for sexual and reproductive health and rights, with milestones including 20 years since the WHO reproductive health strategy and 30 years since the International Conference on Population Development in Cairo established the contemporary rights-based approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights that guides us today.
It is well documented that the ability to decide if and when to have children, and access to safe, timely, respectful and person-centred abortion care, and post-abortion care, when needed, helps to safeguard the health and well-being of women, girls, their families and their communities.
WHO’s Abortion care guideline promotes an enabling environment in which people are active participants in their health and care. As people move through the abortion care pathway (pre-abortion, abortion, post-abortion), health services must be integrated within the health sector to ensure that service delivery meets the needs of women and girls — equitably and without discrimination.
WHO and the UN Special Programme on Human Reproduction (HRP) are proud to share these photos, taken in partnership with Regional Offices, Country Offices and their partners, and with the full, informed consent of all participants, though names have been changed to protect privacy. With this exhibition, we celebrate the role people play in their own health, as well as the life-saving, life-changing impact of healthcare workers committed to delivering quality abortion care, including post-abortion care.
This exhibit was previously on display at WHO headquarters in Geneva, then at the Palais des Nations also in Geneva.
Nearly half of all abortions globally are unsafe, a leading - but preventable - cause of maternal deaths.
Raising awareness
Health workers are crucial to providing quality abortion care and post-abortion contraception.
Abortion care should respect the decisions and needs of women and girls, ensuring that they are treated with dignity and without stigma or judgement.
Service delivery by community health workers can significantly improve access to abortion and post-abortion care, without compromising safety or effectiveness.
Community-based health workers play essential roles in delivering safe, effective and rights-based sexual and reproductive health care.
It is important for every woman to have access to a choice of affordable and acceptable contraceptive options to prevent unintended pregnancies, including post-abortion contraception.
Countries are required to ensure access to post-abortion care, regardless of whether abortion is legal or restricted.
The services provided are private, quality, and include follow-up appointments.
Accessing choices and rights
Access to contraceptive information and services are fundamental to the health and human rights of all individuals. The prevention of unintended pregnancies leads to fewer unsafe abortions.
According to human rights law, governments must ensure access to necessary, up-to-date scientific technologies without discrimination.
Ensuring the right to health
Facility-based and community-based health workers play essential roles in delivering safe and effective sexual and reproductive health care, especially when it comes to support in evidence-based, quality abortion care.
Health centers have been established in Pakistan to provide services to communities who are uninsured.
A growing body of evidence supports provision of information on safety and efficacy of each contraceptive method available, but leaving the personal decision about which method to use up to the individual.
