May 3^rd is World Press Freedom Day; every year this day celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom. The UN General Assembly proclaimed the international day in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the 26th Session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991.

This World Press Freedom Day we take a moment to reflect on the media’s portrayal of women’s access to safe abortion and ponder on the role media can play in reducing the stigma around abortion. We need to think about the narratives that are being created and how do they influence the wider perceptions about abortion.

Abortion is perhaps one of the most controversial medical procedures. Women are made to think that it’s something to be ashamed about and therefore should not be discussed in public. Under international human rights law, states have an obligation to provide complete and accurate information that is needed to protect and promote the right to health, including reproductive health. Abortion is allowed in almost every country to save the woman’s life and in most countries it is also allowed if the pregnancy is the result of rape. Where women’s access to safe and legal abortion services is restricted, a number of human rights may be violated. Eliminating unsafe abortion is necessary to achieve MDG 5 targets and to ensure fewer maternal deaths, lower maternal morbidity and better reproductive health, especially for women and girls in developing countries.

Every day thousands of women and girls face an unplanned pregnancy and have to make the difficult decision whether to continue the pregnancy or seek a termination. Due to the stigma surrounding abortion, women are often unable to seek abortion care. The media may reinforce this stigma by refusing to talk about it as a gender and rights issue and only highlighting the unsafe or illegal cases. One effective way to overcome stigma around abortion is to include it in our everyday conversations.

Women need abortion and they have the right to know that it is their right ! They also need to know how to do it in a safe way. What is needed today is more accurate representation of the reality that abortions are needed and that women and girls of all social classes, religions, nationalities, ethnicity, education can have an unwanted pregnancy.

While the media often serves to reinforce stigma, it has incredible potential to help combat it too. “By honestly and unapologetically showing one woman’s experience, it opens space for others. Ultimately, that ability to encourage—not stifle—the telling of more stories is the difference between a narrative that reinforces stigma and one that can help subvert it” Says Maya Dusenbry Executive Director of Feministing