inroads Vision and Mission

Inroads is dedicated first and foremost to helping create a world free from abortion stigma and its discriminatory outcomes and dangerous health and political effects. We envision a future where there is no abortion stigma. With the collaboration and participation of our members, inroads is committed to building a world where:

• Abortion is widely understood in the popular, legal, and health-care culture as a common, necessary occurrence;
• Abortion services are integrated with family planning and contraceptive services;
• People who need abortion can access information and care when and where needed, at an affordable cost (or at no cost if possible);
• Abortion is included in pre-service and in-service training and is an integral part of comprehensive reproductive health services;
• Laws and policies do not differentiate between which people are eligible or not for an abortion;
• Abortion is a common part of media discourse and is supported by positive imagery and language; and
• Community-based organizations and NGOs can and do advocate for access to quality abortion services without jeopardizing local partnerships, funding, or support for other sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) efforts.

To make this vision a reality, we as an interdependent network must work collaboratively and contextually across the world using the principles of justice, equity, and principles of participation in all our efforts to end stigma.

How do we do the work of ending stigma?

The International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma or inroads is a global network of advocates, scholars, health providers, and donors engaged in program design, research, and advocacy to address abortion stigma and its negative outcomes.

This website serves as a tool for an engaged global community to share knowledge, skills, tools and resources in order to integrate, monitor, and evaluate abortion stigma work across members’ research and programmatic activities. Inroads, through a community of practice, aims to build the evidence and practice around abortion stigma and contribute to a movement that can analyze, respond to and act against abortion stigma.

The inroads network is supported by a steering committee and staff committed to four pillars of strategic work; inroads exists to:

1. Gather and Connect
2. Center Abortion Stigma
3. Facilitate the Generation and Use of Evidence
4. Catalyze and Support Capacity Strengthening.

The International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma is committed to establishing an active and vibrant community of practice based on values of respect for personal agency, reproductive justice, and transparency.