September 28: Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion

Today is the Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion, a day to promote universal access to safe, legal abortion as a women’s health and human rights issue.

Before 2011 this day has been a campaign for decriminalisation of abortion in Latin America and Caribbean for nearly twenty years before being taken on by SRHR activists all over the world.

Of course there are many countries, especially the developed countries, where abortion is legal and women have a save access to abortion. But let me tell you a few numbers, which show you the worldwide rate:

• 21.6 million women experience an unsafe abortion worldwide each year; 18.5 million of these occur in developing countries

• Each year, 6.9 million women in developing countries are treated for complications from unsafe abortion.

• Nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe, and nearly all unsafe abortions (98%) occur in developing countries. In the developing world, 56% of all abortions are unsafe, compared with just 6% in the developed world.

• The proportion of abortions worldwide that take place in the developing world increased between 1995 and 2008 from 78% to 86%, in part because the proportion of all women who live in the developing world increased during this period.

• Since 2003, the number of abortions fell by 600,000 in the developed world but increased by 2.8 million in the developing world. In 2008, six million abortions were performed in developed countries and 38 million in developing countries, a disparity that largely reflects population distribution.

Source: Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization: Unsafe abortion: global and regional estimates of incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality in 2008. à Karte UN Worldmap

• Highly restrictive abortion laws are not associated with lower abortion rates. For example, the abortion rate is 29 per 1,000 women of childbearing age in Africa and 32 per 1,000 in Latin America—regions in which abortion is illegal under most circumstances in the majority of countries. The rate is 12 per 1,000 in Western Europe, where abortion is generally permitted on broad grounds.

• Where abortion is permitted on broad legal grounds, it is generally safe, and where it is highly restricted, it is typically unsafe. In developing countries, relatively liberal abortion laws are associated with fewer negative health consequences from unsafe abortion than are highly restrictive laws.

• In 2008, more than 97% of abortions in Africa were unsafe. Southern Africa is the subregion with the lowest proportion of unsafe abortions (58%). Close to 90% of women in the subregion live in South Africa, where abortion was liberalized in 1997

• In Latin America, 95% of abortions were unsafe, a proportion that did not change between 1995 and 2008. Nearly all safe abortions occurred in the Caribbean, primarily in Cuba and several other countries where the law is liberal and safe abortions are accessible.

• The estimated annual number of deaths from unsafe abortion declined from 56,000 in 2003 to 47,000 in 2008. Complications from unsafe abortion accounted for an estimated 13% of all maternal deaths worldwide in both years

• Almost all abortion-related deaths occur in developing countries, with the highest number occurring in Africa.

• Unsafe abortion has significant negative consequences beyond its immediate effects on women’s health. For example, complications from unsafe abortion may reduce women’s productivity, increasing the economic burden on poor families; cause maternal deaths that leave children motherless; cause long-term health problems, such as infertility; and result in considerable costs to already struggling public health systems.

• Reducing unmet need for modern contraception is an effective way to prevent unintended pregnancies, abortions and unplanned births. 

(Sources:  WHO; Guttmacher (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_IAW.html); Sedgh G et al., Induced abortion worldwide in 2008: levels and trends)

There are also many abortion myths, in developing and developed countries, which lead to wrong information and act and they have influence on public opinions, which also lead to stigmatization. For example: “it causes cancer”, “it is dangerous”, “it is traumatic and causes mental suffering”.

But the truth is:

• Abortion isn’t dangerous in safe and legal settings

• No evidence supports the existence of “Post-Abortions-Syndrome”.

• Recent studies on women seeking abortions showed that women who were able to obtain an abortion, 95% reported that they were relieved.

• Abortion is not immoral. Access to safe and legal abortion is a human right and a moral good.

• Criminalizing abortion doesn’t stop abortions: It only stops safe abortion

Those myths spread because of limited access to information or by people opposed to abortion and the myths are repeated often. Unfortunately they have a strong impact on women, society and politicians. People are forced to have unwanted pregnancies, there is no access to safe and legal abortions and abortion carries stigma and discrimination. So women won’t speak about it and fear the act. This is why such high numbers arise and the myths have an effect on women’s health, rights and lives.

So this day is a call for action to fight the myths, discrimination and stigmatization.

What can you do?

Inform your community, friends and family members, point it out to your environment in your country or just be there if a friend needs you in times before, during or after an abortion without stigmatizing her.

Spread your thoughts on the internet: Use #BustTheMyths or #AbortionStigma

Here you can find more information and materials: http://www.september28.org/

Without those myths, with sex education and awareness we can help women to gain access to safe and legal abortion.

Beauty tips and tricks at home!

 

     Lots of women are buying expensive cosmetic products in case to control, hide and minimize wrinkles, sore feet, thinning hair, and other common signs of aging and fatigue. BUT  you don’t need to spend lots of money, you can also try to use some simple ingredients from nature (usually even can be found by us in the kitchen) ! Let me introduce with some really easy tricks:

1. FACE. Potato starch is one of effective thing that can make your skin smooth and fresh. It is useful, because:

a) It contains Vitamin C, which reproduce damaged skin cells, protects from lesion, destroying free-radicals and ensures that regenerating cells will be health and elastic.

b) It contains Vitamin PP (known as Niacin) which is very important for oxidation-reduction reactions, it energising cells that are in state of calm.

c) There are choline in it which regulates processes of oil-glands.

d) Iron helps to provide cells with oxygen by participation in the blood system.  

e) Lots of carbohydrates ensure vitality and shine of skin.

Face masks protecting from aging sign are recommended almost for all women because it can solve problems such as: first signs of aging, dry or oily skin, normal or mix skin, sensitive and problematic skin. It is said that there are no such effective help for your skin as potato starch. So why we shouldn’t use it? All of us want to have beautiful, healthy and smooth skin. There are no needs of special care cautions because starch is not an allergen. Still it should be avoided when there are some open wounds or big area of inflammation on skin. There are some recipe for face mask:

•    1 spoon of potato starch dissolve in 120 ml cool boiled water. Pour over the same amount of boiled or filtrated water and heat it until it will condense. After that to add 5-7 spoon of fresh carrot juice and 1 spoon of sour cream. To mix everything and apply to your skin by thin layer on clean face. Leave it for 20-30 minutes, after that wash it, if needed apply some face cream. This mask reduce small and deeper wrinkles, moisturizes very dry skin.
•   1 spoon of potato starch mix with spoon of fresh milk and small spoon of peach nucleus oil. Apply to skin by thin layer on well cleansed face skin. Leave it for 20-30 minutes, after that wash it. This mask stiffen skin and is appropriate even for very sensitive skin
•  1 spoon of potato starch dissolve in 120 ml cool boiled water. Pour over the same amount of boiled or filtrated water and heat it until it will condense. Mass shake together with white of the egg and fresh lemon juice. Again apply it by thin layer on well cleansed face skin, leave it for 30-40 minutes. Wash it. This mask is very useful for oily skin.

2. BODY. The very best spas tend to make their own scrubs using natural ingredients. You, too, can make a scrub!

You will need three main ingredients: honey, oil, sugar. Here is how to do it:

1. Warm a jar of honey (in water bath, microwave or oven) until it becomes runny but not too hot to the touch.
2. Pour about 1/4 cup of the honey (eyeball it) into a bowl.
3. Stir in 2 tablespoons of your favorite oil. You can use coconut oil, sweet almond oil or even baby oil. In a pinch, you could even use olive oil, which is also great for the skin.
4. Add about a 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix well.
5. Step in the shower and turn on the water. Get completely wet and apply the scrub you made! Enjoy the rinse, have some relaxation and after that rinse off in the shower. 

3. FOOT. Detox baths are great for helping you to look and feel healthier. Foot detox is also a great idea to help revive tired feet. You can head to the spa for a foot detox or simply make one yourself at home.

There are really easy recipes out that contain essential ingredients that will help your feet to look and feel great. One recipe uses:

• 1 cup of Epsom salt – this is a common ingredient found in detox baths.
• 1 cup of sea salt.
• 2 cups of baking soda.

Just mix this together and store in an airtight container. When you are ready to detox your feet, put ¼ cup of the mixture in a foot basin and fill with water as hot as you can stand it. You can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to make the detox bath and your feet smell great. Just soak your feet for about half an hour. The salts work with the hot water to draw toxins out of your system and to help your feet feel refreshed.

 

4. LIPS. Here is a way to create a natural, inexpensive lip care that moisturizes, exfoliates, and plumps at the same time. It's super easy, and relies on cinnamon as a key ingredient. Start with a little cinnamon and Vaseline. Smooth the Vaseline over your lips, totally but not outside the lines. Pat the cinnamon on top, and rub it around. The cinnamon mildly irritates the skin on your lips, causing them to redden and swell slightly. If you put too much and rub it too hard, however, your lips might sting.

Leave the mixture on for a few minutes, and rub it around. Then wipe it off. You don't want ingest too much cinnamon (especially by itself like that) as it can irritate your throat. Apply a little more Vaseline, and let it soak in. Enjoy your fuller, plumper lips. Warnings: Don't do this if you have chapped lips. The cinnamon will get into the minor cuts on your lips and burn.

Now l hope you are ready to shine and radiate your beauty! Have a beautiful, smooth and vital skin!