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You’re reading the corrected edition of The Midwives’ Voice, September 2025. The version sent earlier this month included a few errors and missing pieces. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and appreciate your understanding.
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Dear midwives, partners and supporters,
September is a key month for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), marked by World Contraception Day and International Safe Abortion Day. Around the world, midwives are at the forefront of this work—delivering rights-based care, challenging stigma, and ensuring women and gender diverse people can make informed choices about their health.
This month’s newsletter reflects that global movement: from midwives in Pakistan providing safe post-abortion care, to student advocates in Croatia advancing sexuality education, to midwives in Sierra Leone and New Zealand strengthening access to family planning and abortion care. It also highlights the legal and policy barriers that continue to undermine women’s autonomy, and the innovations midwives bring to overcome them.
We are also proud to say that we kicked off this month with action. ICM co-hosted a global meeting in collaboration with FIGO, as part of the Collaborate for Women: Abortion and Contraception Care Together (C4W) initiative. The event brought together national taskforces and global SRH partners to share experiences and learning, building on the work of five in-country taskforces focused on strengthening pre-service education, improving networks of care, and optimising the SRH workforce—particularly in family planning (FP) and comprehensive abortion care (CAC).
Participants explored how social norms, gender inequality, stigma, and professional hierarchies impact women’s autonomy and influence provider behaviour—critical factors in the provision of rights-based, evidence-informed SRHR care. You can learn more about it here.
We left the meeting energised and inspired by the passion, collaboration and commitment in the room. We also hope you feel energised and inspired to continue working towards sexual and reproductive health and rights after reading this newsletter, which is full of resources, expert voices and stories from the field to support your efforts.
Warm regards,
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Daniela Drandic
Advocacy and Communications Manager, ICM
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Global Trends in Opposition to Women’s Reproductive Autonomy
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Global sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are facing major setbacks as funding cuts, restrictive policies, and shrinking support for reproductive autonomy take hold. These shifts—rooted in political ideologies—undermine women’s health, equality, and agency, with long-term consequences for sustainable development. To protect progress, governments must challenge patriarchal norms and remove barriers so women can fully exercise their reproductive rights. Learn more about our take on these troubling trends.
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ICM, FIGO, UN's HPR, and WHO Collaborate for Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services
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From 2–4 September, midwives, doctors, and advocates from six countries met in Nairobi for the first Collaborate for Women meeting. Together, they shaped a shared vision to advance family planning and comprehensive abortion care. Learn more about their commitment to collaboration, accountability, and respect.
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When Abortion Rights Are Not Rights – The Fragility of “Exceptions”
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Across the world, abortion often exists in a legal grey zone—allowed but not truly protected—leaving reproductive rights vulnerable to political shifts. Our latest article explores how this threatens women’s autonomy and health care. By recognising and empowering midwives, we can strengthen access to respectful sexual and reproductive healthcare everywhere.
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Strengthening Midwifery and Sexual & Reproductive Health in Sierra Leone
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ICM midwife advisors recently joined the Sierra Leone Midwifery Association to launch capacity-building workshops under the Collaborate for Women initiative. Over three days, 31 midwives and educators from across the country came together to strengthen skills in family planning and post-abortion care, while centring women’s rights, autonomy, and informed consent.
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Want to be featured on our website and our newsletter? Submit a story about the impact of midwives and midwifery. |
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A Day in the Life of Prof Doreen Kaura, Midwife and SRHR Research Leader
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Meet Prof Doreen Kaura —midwife, researcher, educator, and full professor at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town. Her work champions midwife-led, culturally respectful, and data-informed care, while inspiring the next generation of midwives across Africa. She shared a glimpse into her daily life and ongoing advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights.
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Returning Power to Women: Midwives and Post-Abortion Care
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Discover how midwives in Pakistan are providing safe, respectful post-abortion care using WHO-recommended methods. By combining clinical treatment with counselling, infection prevention, and referral support, midwives ensure women receive dignified care and reclaim ownership of their health.
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How Two Midwifery Students in Croatia Are Closing the Gap in Sexuality Education
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In Croatia, a group of midwifery students noticed many women lacked basic knowledge about their bodies.
Tracing the issue back to the schools, they launched a project to bring comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education into classrooms.
We sat down with two of the students behind it, Klaudia Kamenar and Melani Zakic.
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Expanded Practice, Expanded Horizons: A Rural Midwife’s Journey into Abortion Care
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In 2020, New Zealand decriminalised abortion, allowing midwives to provide early medical abortion care. This reform has expanded access—especially in rural areas—while strengthening women’s reproductive autonomy. In this article, a rural midwife shares her experience integrating EMA into her practice, showcasing the essential role midwives play in improving access to care.
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Upcoming Webinar - Upholding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Insights from the C4W ACCT Project
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Join us on September 26 for a webinar on the insights from the Collaborate for Women: Abortion and Contraception Care Together (C4W ACCT) initiative, highlighting the urgent need to uphold sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls.
Co-hosted with FIGO and WHO, the webinar will spotlight lessons from Nepal, Bangladesh, DRC, Sierra Leone and Mozambique on strengthening education, interprofessional collaboration, and ensuring respectful care for all.
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In conversation with FIGO: Ending Preventable Maternal Deaths from PPH
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Listen to Prof Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent and Prof Anne-Beatrice Kihara in conversation on ending preventable maternal deaths from postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). They reflect on the urgent challenges of PPH and the power of respectful collaboration between midwives and obstetricians to transform maternal health.
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A human rights-based approach to comprehensive abortion care – an e-learning course
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These two modules from the WHO Academy are designed to strengthen your knowledge and practice in providing safe, respectful, and stigma-free medical abortion care. You will gain skills in effective communication and emotional support, while also deepening your understanding of human rights and their connection to sexual and reproductive health. Enrol now!
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Be part of our vibrant community! Submit your upcoming events for a chance to feature in our newsletter. |
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Midwives’ Provision of Comprehensive Abortion Care
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Abortion care is a necessary part of sexual and reproductive health. Midwives play a vital role in providing safe, quality abortion services, including assessment, counselling, referrals, medical and procedural care, and post-abortion support, including contraception.
Access to comprehensive, safe abortion care is essential for the health and rights of women, girls, and gender-diverse people. It reduces maternal mortality and morbidity and is recognised as a fundamental human right under international law.
ICM’s newly updated position statement reaffirms the central role of midwives in abortion care and urges legal, policy, and educational reforms to ensure safe, rights-based access for all.
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Legal Threats to Autonomy, Choice and Informed Consent in Labor and Childbirth
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New research from the Center for Reproductive Rights reveals that maternal health is the only area where informed consent can be overridden, allowing forced medical treatment. The brief explores how legal systems enable mistreatment and unconsented care during pregnancy and birth.
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Legal and Regulatory Frameworks Are Undermining Midwifery Models of Care
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A new legal research reveals that restrictive laws and regulatory gaps are blocking the full integration of midwifery into national health systems - undermining access to quality, respectful, and community-centered maternal care.
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Impact of contraceptive use on women’s health and socioeconomic status
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The World Health Organization (WHO) commissioned six systematic reviews to assess how contraceptive use affects women's health, socioeconomic status (SES), and empowerment. The findings show that contraception not only helps space and prevent pregnancies but also reduces health risks, improves mental and menstrual health, and strengthens women's overall wellbeing and agency.
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The Value of self-care for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights
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Self-care actions and interventions empower individuals to take charge of their sexual and reproductive health. They are a key tool for advancing primary health care and achieving universal health coverage—especially in communities where access to quality, affordable services is limited or unequal.
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Abortion learning mechanisms for nurses and midwives: a scoping review of evidence
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People seeking abortions often find nurses and midwives to be more supportive than other health professionals. These providers have long been recognised as key contributors to comprehensive abortion care. This scoping review examined the existing evidence on how nurses and midwives learn about abortion care and identified areas where training can be enhanced.
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Effectiveness of misoprostol as an incomplete abortion treatment when given by midwives as opposed to doctors: A systematic review with meta-analysis
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A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis found that midwives, when trained to administer oral misoprostol for first-trimester incomplete abortion, achieved outcomes nearly equivalent to physicians (success rate ~99%), with no significant differences in safety or adverse events.
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Authorized representative: International Confederation of Midwives Email address: info@internationalmidwives.org
Phone: 0703060520
Address: Koninginnegracht 60, 2514 AE, 's-Gravenhage, The Netherlands
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