Girls’ rights and equality is central to our work at Plan International Ireland. While we are a child-centred organisation that works with all genders to advance children’s rights, we are intentional about prioritising equality for girls through our programmes and in our advocacy work. Gendered social norms, unequal access to education, gender-based violence, including child marriage, FGM and sexual exploitation, adolescent pregnancy, period poverty – all of these issues disproportionately impact girls and young women.
While Plan does not administer or fund any abortion services, our experience working for the rights of girls and other young people globally shows that comprehensive sexuality education and access to quality contraception and other health services, including abortion, can significantly improve girls’ and women’s lives. Lack of access to those services has broad implications that go beyond health, and is likely to impact girls’ and young women’s educational opportunities and career prospects. In addition, unintended pregnancies can result from violations of girls’ and women’s fundamental rights, including gender-based violence.
This is why Plan International Ireland strongly disagrees with the official United States Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, effectively removing nationally-protected abortion rights in the U.S. The ruling endangers the sexual and reproductive health rights of millions of American women and adolescent girls. As Plan fights for these rights for women and girls around the world, we are deeply concerned that so many in the U.S. will lose these fundamental rights, especially in the 13 U.S. states with abortion bans that will now take effect.
Women and adolescent girls in the U.S. and around the world should be able to make these important decisions about their own reproductive health. And we will continue to work with girls and their communities to break down the barriers that prevent girls from reaching their potential and equip them with the knowledge and tools to build the future they deserve through our programmes and advocacy.
