Overview

Inadequate sexuality education, barriers to contraception and the denial of safe and legal abortion cause harms to people’s health and well-being. As a provider of sexual healthcare, the IFPA sees these harms every day.

As an organisation that works to enable people to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health, we cannot ignore them.

We advocate for legal and policy changes that will enhance access to services and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The IFPA worked tirelessly for reform of Ireland’s abortion laws. Following the referendum on May 25th 2018, the priority of our national level advocacy is the implementation of rights-based abortion care in Ireland that meets the needs of women experiencing unintended or crisis pregnancies, in line with best international healthcare practice.

Our current advocacy priorities also include:

• Implementation of the ancillary recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment in relation to sexuality education and contraception
• Removal of the legal and policy barriers to access to contraception
• Development of a government strategy to address female genital mutilation (FGM)
• Ensuring that sexual and reproductive health and rights are a policy and funding priority for Ireland in intergovernmental forums and in its overseas aid programme