Under the Sustainable Development Goals, governments have pledged to continue the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals. In the new ambitious agenda, governments have committed to reduce maternal mortality, achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and achieve gender equality as a matter of women’s and girls’ human rights. But some rights remain contentious - access to safe and legal abortion. Access to safe and legal abortion services is crucial to achieving reproductive health and rights but where is this right in the SDGs? What are the consequences of abortion rights being overlooked? Sexual rights are also not included in the final document, and the foundation of sexual health and reproductive rights is weakened without sexual rights. What do these omissions mean for marginalized and minority groups, such as youth, people living with disability, trans and non-gender conforming people, or queer people, who face multiple challenges in accessing abortion rights?
This event brings together a diverse panel of youth, people living with disabilities, trans and gender non-conforming perspectives to explore the gaps in the SDGs in addressing their needs to access safe and legal abortion.
Speakers:
- Lea Rios - OutRight Action International
- Axel Keating - Inter/Act Youth, intersex youth organization
- Ankit Gupta (India) and Savannah Mudd (US) Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights