LIVE on April 7: The other health crisis—breaking the taboo on abortion · Global Voices
Melissa Vida

The COVID-19 pandemic is not the only health hazard affecting people—there's one that's way more persistent. This World Health Day, let's break the taboo topics of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
It is no small feat—in places where it is illegal to terminate a pregnancy, unsafe abortions cause about 30,000 deaths each year, and numerous health complications.
About 73 million abortions are performed throughout the world each year, and at least one out of three are carried out under dangerous conditions. “Around 7 million women are admitted to hospitals every year in developing countries, as a result of unsafe abortion,” the World Health Organization reports. In some places, abortions can also lead to imprisonment.
Join us on World Health Day, April 7, for the latest in our Global Voices Insights live webinar series, where a panel of speakers from Brazil, Uganda, Poland, Pakistan, and Thailand will explore reproductive rights in their countries.
The session, which will be conducted in English and moderated by Melissa Vida, Global Voices’ regional editor for Latin America, starts at 1pm GMT (10am in São Paulo/3pm in Warsaw,/4pm in Kampala/6pm in Lahore/8pm in Bangkok). Click on this link to calculate the time in your time zone.
The session is free of charge and open to the public, and will be live-streamed on Facebook Live, YouTube y Twitch.
Here are the panelists:
Brazil: Debora Diniz is a Brazilian anthropologist who develops research projects on bioethics, feminism, human rights and health. She teaches at the University of Brasilia, is a researcher at Brown University, and is an activist for reproductive rights. Her documentaries on abortion, equal marriage, secular state and stem cell research have received numerous national and international awards and have been screened in numerous competitions.
is a leading African Sexual Reproductive Health, Human Rights, and Gender advocate and strategist with a global advocacy, campaigns, and movement building and coordination footprint. Joy was awarded Uganda Law Society’s best Female Human Rights Lawyer 2018/2019 and recognition as emerging mid-career woman leader in Global Health at the Women Leaders in Global Health Conference (2017) at Stanford University.
is the Founder and Director of Manushya Foundation, which she founded in 2017 (Manushya means ‘Human Being’ in Sanskrit), with the goal to reinforce the power of local communities, in particular women human rights defenders, so they can fight for their rights, equality, and social justice. She is an international human rights lawyer specialized in access to justice for marginalized communities.
is a freelance journalist. Earlier she was Associate Web Editor at The News on Sunday and The Nation Newspaper. She has over ten years’ experience in content, print and online media. She also contributes to online local and foreign media. She focuses on digital security, women issues, and animal rights. She is a contributor at Global Voices.
is a 19-year-old climate justice activist from Poland; She is part of the Fridays For Future movement and the Women's Strike.
We look forward to having you join us on April 7 at 1pm GMT (click this link to convert to your local time zone)!