Ipas Development Foundation (IDF) organized the Second CAC Conclave – Expanding the Discourse on Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) in India on July 10 – 11, 2017 in New Delhi.

The two-day Conclave is part of a series of events aimed at creating a wider community of advocates for CAC in India.

The Conclave brought together experts from related domains – Law, Academics, Service Provision, Advocacy, Research and Civil Society to enable sharing and leveraging of synergies at various levels. The opening remarks by Executive Director, IDF Mr. Vinoj Manning, Dr. Noor Fathima CAC Connect member from Bihar and Dr. Manju Chhugani, Principal,Rufaida College of Nursing outlined the stage for themes of the panel discussions. Participants included members of CAC Connect (a network of CAC providers across 12 states of India), members of Unnati (a network of doctors and nurses trained in comprehensive contractive care in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh), professors and students from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and from International Institute of Population Sciences, representatives of the Federation of the Obstetricians and Gynecological Societies of India development partners and partner organizations, social activists, and media.

The key themes for panel discussions were:-

– Legal intersections of abortion in India
– Harnessing the power of communication for increasing access to safe abortions
– Maximizing medical abortion in India
– Preventing unwanted pregnancies
– What it takes to be an abortion provider in India

Participants at the Conclave reiterated that there was an urgent need to strengthen safe abortion services by increasing the provider base and creating awareness on availability of comprehensive abortion care services across the country.

Download a compilation of the diverse thoughts and initiatives presented at the CAC Conclave here.