Millions of women and girls may be forced to carry unwanted pregnancies or risk unsafe backstreet abortions as the coronavirus lockdowns restrict access to family planning services, charity Marie Stopes International said on Friday. Women are struggling to get contraception and terminations during the pandemic, the organisation warned, saying a loss of its services alone would impact up to 9.5 million women and could result in an extra 2.7 million unsafe abortions globally.
Coronavirus lockdowns are forcing the closure of clinics and outreach programmes as medical staff are redeployed to fight the virus, while closures of pharmaceutical factories in China and delays in shipping have caused shortages of supplies. Meanwhile, women under lockdown are facing increased levels of domestic abuse which can include forced pregnancy. Sexual health services have already been “quite severely disrupted” in a number of countries, and the situation is only likely to get worse, said Manuelle Hurwitz of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).
A recent survey of about 80 IPPF member organisations found one in five family planning services have been forced to shut clinics, while others have had to cut services. Some providers which responded to the survey are already reporting shortages of supplies including contraceptives, HIV-related medicines, pregnancy testing kits and abortion pills. Women in countries where abortion access is already limited or at risk are facing particular challenges.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Finnish site 
Global site