Our work began in 1973, with the provision of life-saving reproductive health technology for health systems in several countries. Since then, we have experienced amazing growth and change as an organization, but our singular commitment to expand access to legal abortion has remained constant. Why? Because access to abortion is necessary to ensure reproductive justice for all.

Abortion is essential health care to which everyone has a right. But not everyone has access. Each year, 35 million people around the world resort to having an abortion with unsafe methods. Thousands die, and millions suffer preventable injuries as a result. Due to global health inequities, almost all these people are Black or brown and live in low- and middle-income countries. We must ensure that all people have bodily autonomy and can access the essential health care they need.

Today, Ipas works on five continents with a comprehensive approach that centers the needs of those who seek legal abortion care. We build sustainable abortion ecosystems that address all factors impacting a person’s ability to access abortion—from individual health knowledge, to social and community support, to a trained health workforce, to political leadership and supportive laws. We train providers and work with health systems to ensure accessible, high-quality legal abortion services—including the right and ability to self-manage an abortion with pills. We conduct research with the goal of turning policy into practice. We also partner with local organizations to educate communities on reproductive health and rights, to advocate for legal abortion, and to support local champions for reproductive justice.

Ipas’s Strategy 2025-2028

As we have evolved into a locally led, globally connected network that seeks to shift power and share leadership, we are explicitly applying reproductive justice and human rights frameworks to our work. In our Ipas Strategy 2025-2028, we outline our comprehensive approach and unique value, mapping out the short-term, long-term and ultimate outcomes we expect to achieve.