Ipas

This 4-page fact sheet discusses how Ipas, an international organisation that works around the world to increase women's ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, and other advocacy groups worked to successfully lobby to reform Ethiopia's abortion laws in 2005. The document gives a brief overview of Ethiopia's laws, constitution, and parliament, outlines the arguments used by reform advocates, how opposition groups organised to prevent reform and how advocacy groups responded to these challenges. The document also offers some critical factors for success for abortion-rights advocates looking to reform laws in other countries.

Although many factors that facilitated positive change in Ethiopia were unique to its context and history, the experience of the process in Ethiopia highlights several lessons that can be used by reform advocates in other countries. Based on these, the document suggests the following steps that individuals and groups can take to promote women’s health and rights and to create a strong foundation for reform:

• build the capacity of civil-society organisations, including developing their management, research, advocacy and media skills;
• accumulate and then effectively present a strong body of evidence documenting the scope and impact of unsafe abortion and related problems;
• establish a well-functioning, mutually respectful network of advocates representing multiple viewpoints, sectors, and constituencies;
• develop well-defined arguments addressing multiple interests and perspectives, backed by localised evidence and personal stories;
• identify, enlist the support of, and support effective champions for reform;
• cultivate personal and professional relationships with a range of stakeholders both within and outside of government, including media professionals;
• promote open dialogue among the full range of stakeholders;
• raise societal awareness and understanding of the issue through multiple channels, including mass media and community-based organizations; and
• look beyond the moment of political success to define and plan for steps needed to actualise and protect reforms, including informing women and health-care providers about changes in the law and training and equipping health-care professionals to offer safe abortion.