Mr. Speaker, September 28 is the internationally designated global day of action for access to safe and legal abortion. According to the World Health Organization, about 25 million unsafe abortions take place every year around the world. An estimated 47,000 women die of complications every year.
Our government supports women's sexual health and reproductive rights, and we are unequivocally opposed to reproductive coercion in all its forms. We adopted a feminist international assistance policy that defends the rights of women and girls and are working closely with local women's groups, particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, to ensure that the world's most vulnerable are protected and treated with the dignity they deserve.
Today, I thank all of the organizations around the world that are working hard to defend and protect women's reproductive rights.