Elvira Méndez
Speeches:
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Coresponsibility and equity fairness in abortion services oriented to vulnerable groups of women
Elvira Méndez (Spain)
Asociación Salud y Familia, Via Laietana, 40, 3º 2ª B, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
cherrera@saludyfamilia.es
The Asociación Salud y Familia, a non-profit NGO, has been the leader of a programme aimed at providing abortion services to vulnerable groups of women for the past fifteen years. This programme, called “Safe Motherhood Assistance”, has served more than 41,000 women, 4,693 women during 2007 alone (20% of all abortions in Catalonia). The programme is based on a tripartite scheme, involving collaborations between private abortion clinics, public healthcare services and the association. Among its greatest achievements are: accessibility to a co-payment system for abortions; free post-abortion contraception services (IUD insertion); and the capability to adapt to new social and individual vulnerable situations.