Many women and girls lack access to accurate information and high-quality, compassionate reproductive health services, denying them dignity and the ability to make informed decisions about their health. More than 55% of the roughly 2.8 million annual births are unintended in Brazil, indicating an unmet need for contraception. Despite high contraceptive use, the most effective contraceptives, including hormonal implants and intra-uterine devices remain difficult to access through the public health system in many areas of Brazil. The result is a high dependence on less effective methods, such as condoms and hormonal pills, which are susceptible to higher failure rates. Evidence shows that when confronted with an unintended pregnancy many Brazilian women will resort to unsafe and clandestine abortions. Brazil is one of the most legally restricted environments for abortion in the world. Abortion is a crime in Brazil with only three legal exemptions including risk to the life of the woman, and in cases of rape or fetal anencephaly. However, stigma, discrimination, refusal to provide care and lack of knowledge of laws among health providers result in many women being denied care even in legally permitted situations. Despite the restricted context, hundreds of thousands of women have clandestine abortions every year. Many of these women resort to unsafe practices risking illness, disability and death. Approximately 250,000 women are hospitalized per year and every 2 days a woman dies due to complications from unsafe abortion in Brazil.
Women and girls access high-quality, compassionate services and receive accurate medical information enabling them to make informed decisions about their health.
Health providers gain knowledge and skills to provide quality care and are able to fulfill their professional duties in an enabling environment.
Health institutions have enhanced capacity to provide high quality services to women, leading to improved health outcomes for their communities.
Brazil achieves improved health outcomes for women due to a reduction in unintended pregnancies and fewer unsafe abortions.