In this second panel, presenters will discuss legal restrictions on abortion and how such laws may drive people to self-manage their abortions. Presenters will share evidence and experiences from around the world, including the United States and multiple countries in Asia and Africa, and consider how laws effect the way people get abortions.

• Wanjiru Kareithi, Co-coordinator of Lawyers Network supporting self-managed abortion activism throughout Africa
• Dr. Suchitra Dalvie, Coordinator, Asian Safe Abortion Partnership
• Dr. Heidi Moseson, Senior Research Scientist at Ibis Reproductive Health
• Moderated by Farah Diaz-Tello, Senior Counsel & Legal Director, If/When/How – Lawyering for Reproductive Justice

For decades, people have effectively self-managed their abortions without the supervision of a health care professional. Self-managed abortion (SMA) offers an alternative model of care that can serve people living in both restrictive and more liberal legal settings. SMA has been recognized for its potential not only to reduce harm caused by abortion restrictions, but also to contribute to personal agency and reproductive freedom, shifting power away from the formal medical system and into the hands of women and other pregnant people.

A growing body of evidence shows that self-managed medication abortion is safe and effective in early pregnancy, as well as in later pregnancy provided individuals can access post-abortion care if needed . Yet legal risk remains, as laws and policies fail to protect people who self-manage their abortion and those who help them.

This panel series is presented by the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University Beasley School of Law, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center, Ibis Reproductive Health, and If/When/How Lawyering for Reproductive Justice.