Why we need to defend reproductive choice this International Women’s Day

Celebrating International Women’s Day 2026

International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate women, and a rallying call for everyone to do their part to accelerate gender equality and protect reproductive choice. With women’s rights at risk around the world, we’re sharing the stories of five inspiring women fighting for gender equality globally.

Why is International Women’s Day important?

The importance of International Women’s Day lies in its power to spark change, amplify voices, and highlight the urgent need for gender equality worldwide. It’s a moment to reflect on progress, but also to recognise the barriers that still exist.

This past year, we’ve seen increased attacks on women’s rights and reproductive rights around the world. Massive cuts in global health funding have left women without reproductive healthcare, while anti-choice groups are intensifying their attacks on abortion access and contraceptive choice.

For millions of women and girls, the fight for equal rights is far from over, and International Women’s Day is a crucial reminder of the work still to be done.

Why is International Women’s Day important for reproductive rights?

When women and girls have control over their bodies and reproductive rights, they have greater control over their futures – whether that means staying in school, pursuing a career, or making decisions that are right for them.

At MSI, we see firsthand how reproductive choices are central to achieving gender equality. International Women’s Day is about demanding a future where every woman has the freedom to make those choices.

International Women’s Day and gender equality

Reproductive choice and gender equality go hand in hand. As long as women are denied the basic freedom to make their own fertility decisions, true equality will remain out of reach. Access to contraception and safe abortion care enables women and girls to participate fully in society – free to plan their futures on their own terms.

As the women below tell us through their own stories, gender equality isn’t possible without reproductive choices like abortion and contraception. With women’s rights at threat this year, join us in celebrating five brave women who are advancing gender equality in their own countries, and the millions of women who fight for their reproductive rights and choices in their own ways, every single day.

To take action for International Women’s Day today, donate to support a woman’s reproductive choices.

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Five women holding the line for reproductive rights around the world:

Nurse Ify works as part of an MSI mobile health team in Nigeria. Her team travels into rural communities to provide life-changing contraceptive options to anyone who wants it.

“I don’t like my job – I love it. The hardest part is the difficult journeys – crossing rivers, passing through harsh landscapes, travelling kilometres without seeing a soul. Sometimes the car gets stuck in deep mud and we have to dig it out. But once you get there and see smiles on faces, you forget about it.

“I don’t want a day to pass without making a change in someone’s life. When people hear my name, I want it to conjure up a good image. I hope they remember that I embraced them, cared for them, treated them with the respect they deserve.” 

Ailish is a midwife and safeguarding lead for MSI UK. She listens to and supports people accessing our reproductive healthcare services, making sure their safety is prioritised. 

“There’s a stigma surrounding abortion, and such a horrible burden that so many people carry around when they feel like they can’t talk about it. When you open up those conversations you can just see the weight that’s lifted off people, and I just think that’s brilliant. 

“As a woman, as a mother, as someone who has access to abortion care and has had my experience, I just really want abortion to be seen as something that doesn’t need to be hidden or that people should feel ashamed about.  

“I enjoy reassuring women that this is not something to be sorry about, not something to feel guilty about, not something to dwell on – this happens in so many women’s reproductive lives.” 

Josephine is a midwife at an MSI clinic in Kumasi, Ghana. She counsels women on their reproductive healthcare options including contraception, abortion and STI treatment.  

“MSI helps women, and I want to help women too. I was inspired to work in sexual and reproductive healthcare from looking at the high mortality rate from unsafe abortion. Some people go out and buy bottles to grind up and eat, because they think it’s going to end their pregnancy. Unsafe methods can lead to infection, sometimes leading to death. 

“MSI reaches out to rural areas to provide services. We provide a safe place and procedures. So if someone is in distress, or having a situation, they know that they have a place to go.

“My hope is that every woman has the opportunity to choose their reproductive healthcare and contraception, because it will help them. If they are in school, they can continue. Married women can space their children, go out to work and support their family. If every woman has the opportunity to access their reproductive choices, there would be change. They would get power.”  

Tika, an MSI Lady, treks through the mountains of Nepal to reach women cut off from healthcare.

“I travel to villages and provide counselling to women about family planning and reproductive healthcare. We counsel them about all the available options and let them choose whichever method they prefer. Then we provide the service.

“During the rainy season, we walk for hours or days to reach some areas. Sometimes there are
floods or landslides, and it’s hard to travel. But we still go, even on foot, we never let clients
miss their service.

“My wish is that no woman should have to carry an unwanted pregnancy or risk her life through
unsafe abortion. We counsel them and help them understand the facts and their rights. I feel very proud and grateful to be able to provide life-saving medical services free of charge.”

Esther (pseudonym) is a doctor at an MSI clinic in Nairobi, Kenya, where she provides sexual and reproductive healthcare.

“My sister’s friend died from an unsafe abortion when she was just 15 years old. She didn’t want her parents to know she was pregnant, but the drugs she was given failed. By the time I saw her she had been bleeding for a whole week and her abdomen was swollen. When she got to the hospital there was nothing they could do. From that moment I knew I wanted to be a doctor to make sure that girls have the information they need.

“When you see that happen to someone close to you, it drives home how important it is to be able to get accurate information and contraceptive services. When I was at school, it was forbidden to talk about sex. I was just told to stay away from boys and abstain from having sex. Nurses would say ‘you are a girl, you should be at school, why do you want family planning?’

“If a girl walks into my clinic today and tells me she is sexually active she wants contraception, I will give it to her, because I know what it means for her life. Access to sexual and reproductive healthcare means safety. It means girls going to school and women achieving their goals. 

“If you are in a difficult situation and you walk into an MSI clinic I will listen and not judge you. I want to continue serving and empowering women. Because an empowered woman is an empowered community.” 

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At MSI, we trust women to make the decisions that are right for their health, lives and futures. We deliver choices and put power in our clients’ hands.

But only 57 percent of women around the world are able to make their own informed decisions on sex and reproductive health. We’ve got to keep fighting to ensure that everyone has access to these life-changing choices, so that women and girls can determine their own future paths, whatever they may be.

Reproductive choice is the gateway to a gender equal world.  For International Women’s Day, we’re choosing choice. Will you?

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