Skip to main content

sexual and reproductive health and rights

Abortion Stigma

Since inception, we have worked on post abortion care programs with an aim of ensuring eased quality stigma free provision, access and uptake of safe, essential reproductive healthcare and reduction of severe health risks of unsafe procedures. Working at the community grassroots levels in Uganda has made us learn that abortion stigma is reinforcing misconceptions that abortion is rare or that only “certain types of women” have abortions. Because of similar learnings, we continue to strategically put much emphasis on addressing abortion stigma because it shames and silences women of reproductive age
  • Read more
    who seek safe abortion care services, healthcare providers, others associated with abortion care. It is also contributing significantly to the incidences of unsafe abortions especially among the vulnerable adolescents, young and adult women. We continue to committing to understanding and reducing abortion stigma while building or adopting effective approaches to addressing it.

Abortion Values Clarification for Action and Transformation.

During our community-based activities, we use our adopted IPAS and World Health Organization recommendation of Abortion Values Clarification for Action and Transformation (VCAT) participatory workshop processes to effectively help us work with healthcare workers, policymakers, community gatekeepers and members to help them on exploring, question, and change their personal beliefs and biases about abortion.

  • Read more
    The VCAT sessions are gradually reducing abortion stigma through challenging moral judgments and social myths that frame abortion as unacceptable, are helping providers treat patients with empathy instead of bias, improving access to care as healthcare providers at the community grassroots levels who complete VCAT workshops are becoming more willing and confident to provide safe, person-centered abortion care as an essential health service.

    The VCAT sessions are also helping us to align actions with human rights especially among the community gate keepers and general community people as they are gradually connecting their core personal values like care, compassion, and bodily autonomy to human rights or scientific evidence rather than personal prejudice.

    The community-based interventions are gradually moving the general community people and leaders from just examining of the real-world harms of restrictive laws, unsafe procedures, personal hesitation or opposition towards active support and advocacy for reproductive rights.

Access to Contraception.

When the vulnerable people the community grassroots levels lack access to contraception and accurate family planning information, their ability to make informed choices and exercise control over their lives and futures is limited.

At COHERINET we believe that everyone deserves the freedom and ability to prevent pregnancy, plan family size, treat various health conditions, save life, protect personal health and stop dangerous procedures.

  • Read more
    structural obstacles especially among the vulnerable adolescents, young and adult women.

    We have continued to ensure eased provision, access, availability and uptake of quality stigma free information and healthcare services at the community grassroots levels through our community based strategic interventions.