Agents! On World Safe Abortion Day, we are excited to bring the first piece of the collaboration between AOI and Ibis Reproductive Health: a visual guide to self-managed abortions and what to expect after taking the pills.
You may think that in order to have an abortion, you need to go to the doctor and undergo an abortion procedure. In fact, there are other options available to you. An abortion can actually be self-managed simply with medication. Many people in India choose to have their abortion this way - as many as 73%!
Even the WHO recommends this method because it is safe and effective, especially when you are well-informed. That’s why we made this guide!
Building on Ibis’s India-based research around self-managed abortions, the free-to-use resource is available in English and Hindi, and is also available as a download on the Agents of Ishq website.
The visual guide directs you through the entire process–from when to take the pills, precautions to consider, how to take the pill, what to expect after taking the pills, and when (if at all) to see a doctor.
The Ibis research also showed how important emotional support from friends, relatives and partners was during the abortion process. This is reflected in the guide, because we believe that we are all in this together as a community of mutual care.
Share this guide with others or save it for a day when you may need it. (PS: impregnating partners may benefit from the knowledge, too).
A special thank you to Dr Suchitra Dalvie for her guidance, and to the Rural Women’s Social Education Centre, The Family Planning Association of India and Sanitation Health & Rights in India for their support with the research!
