Theresa May is throwing Northern Irish women under the bus to protect her own weak majority

Theresa May is throwing Northern Irish women under the bus to protect her own weak majority

Emma Campbell
Co-Chair of Alliance for Choice Tuesday
29 Jan 2019

If you turn on the television or radio this week, you will likely hear men in suits discussing the future of Brexit. There will be business people, lorry drivers, farmers and fisherman debating the prospect of what might happen if the UK leaves the EU without a deal in two months time.

But as the clock ticks on towards 29 March and MPs scramble to stop a no-deal Brexit, there is a consequence that has received little media attention, and it could be one of the most serious yet.

Continued: https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/29/theresa-may-is-throwing-northern-irish-women-under-the-bus-to-protect-her-own-weak-majority-8407476/


Addressing stigma while moving a national campaign – Spotlight on El Salvador

#OjosEnElSalvador #EyesOnElSalvador

Posted January 29, 2019
by inroads Comms, with Sara García Gross

As 2018 came to a close, the feminist and social movements of El Salvador had a great victory, one which inspired activists across the world. For years, ever since a 1998 penal code harshened laws even more to ban abortion under any circumstance, Salvadoran feminist activist groups have been fighting to end the criminalization and stigmatization of abortion in their country, which is one of 26 countries in the world where abortion is completely prohibited without exceptions. After years of sexual abuse from a family member, Imelda Cortez became pregnant, and then gave birth outside of the hospital. For this, she was accused of attempting an abortion and then jailed. There, she awaited trial under attempted murder charges for almost two years. This is not uncommon, and there are still 25 women in El Salvador who remain incarcerated for having pregnancy complications, appearing to have an abortion, and for circumstances related to reproductive health. But after a generation of strategizing and organizing; collective direct actions appealing to the Attorney General; and leveraging the call to #SalvemosAImelda in a wide reaching international campaign; organizers were able to achieve a hard fought victory for justice in December 2018. Imelda Cortez was free.

Continued: http://makeinroads.org/making-inroads/2019/January/ojosenelsalvador-eyesonelsalvador


New York abortion law: Why are so many people talking about it?

New York abortion law: Why are so many people talking about it?

By George Pierpoint BBC News, Washington
28 January 2019

On the 46th anniversary of the landmark US ruling that made abortion legal, New York state signed into law a new abortion rights bill. Why is it so controversial?

The Reproductive Health Act (RHA) has been seen by some as a necessary move to safeguard abortion rights should the Supreme Court overturn the ruling, known as Roe v Wade.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46994583


USA – In Mass. and beyond, an effort to bolster access to abortion

In Mass. and beyond, an effort to bolster access to abortion

By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff
January 28, 2019

Reproductive rights advocates in Massachusetts and across the country are launching aggressive campaigns for the new year to bolster access to abortion services in left-leaning states, in anticipation of further restrictions in conservative ones.

The effort is part of a nationwide strategy by groups, including Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, to create safe havens for women seeking abortion services at a time when a newly conservative Supreme Court could overturn the 46-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortion legal.

Continued: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/01/27/mass-and-beyond-effort-bolster-access-abortion/xwQ6A4WVimznyGypWHkOXK/story.html


Ireland – Holohan moves to address concerns about 12-week abortion limit

Holohan moves to address concerns about 12-week abortion limit
Doctors fearful of criminalisation as women present at 11 weeks’ gestation

Mon, Jan 28, 2019
Jennifer Bray

The chief medical officer, Tony Holohan, has moved to address concerns about doctors performing terminations beyond the 12-week legal limit.

Abortion up until 12 weeks’ gestation became legal at the start of the month, but concerns have been raised that women who present at 11 weeks’ gestation may take more than a week to complete the procedure.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/holohan-moves-to-address-concerns-about-12-week-abortion-limit-1.3772460


Abortion, Newly Legal in Ireland, Faces Old Roadblocks

Abortion, Newly Legal in Ireland, Faces Old Roadblocks

By Ceylan Yeginsu
Jan. 28, 2019

DUBLIN — The abortion clinic’s website pops up at the top of a Google search for “free ultrasound,” its content and color scheme mimicking the government’s new support service for unplanned pregnancy.

“Looking for abortion advice?” “How far along am I?” The bright orange speech bubbles attached to stock images of smiling medical experts purport to inform women about abortion options that became legally available in Ireland on Jan. 1.

Continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/world/europe/ireland-abortion.html


Is the future of abortion online?

Is the future of abortion online?

January 27, 2019
Hazal Atay

While the abortion debate continues worldwide, even in countries where it has long been legal, new drugs and online telemedicine services could provide access to safe abortion beyond borders and laws.

Since the early days of the birth-control movement, scientific research and development have contributed significantly to increase the range of options available for managing human fertility and giving women autonomy over their own bodies. One of the most remarkable changes in recent years is medical abortion, a non-surgical method for terminating pregnancies. It involves the use of prescription drugs such as Misoprostol and Mifepristone (also known as RU-486), which was developed in France and approved for use in 1989.

Continued: https://theconversation.com/is-the-future-of-abortion-online-110339


Turkey’s women face dangerous conditions to obtain legal abortion

Turkey's women face dangerous conditions to obtain legal abortion
Women seeking an abortion in Turkey face considerable danger and many hurdles. While the procedure is legal, experts say in reality there is a de facto ban, believed to be orchestrated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Date 27.01.2019
Author Burcu Karakas

"I thought I'd go to some sort of hospital. But instead, it was an apartment on the second floor of a three-story building. A man with a cigarette in hand opened the door. I entered an apartment with a living room and kitchen. The bathroom in what apparently was the parents' bedroom had been converted into an abortion room. The operating table was filthy and covered in blood."

Horror takes hold of Gul as she describes the place in Istanbul's Alibeykoy district where she went to have her pregnancy terminated. What she encountered was one of Turkey’s illegal abortion clinics, often housed in converted apartments despite the procedure being legal in Turkey.

Continued: https://www.dw.com/en/turkeys-women-face-dangerous-conditions-to-obtain-legal-abortion/a-47257680


South Africa – Stigma, shame and back street abortion pill

Stigma, shame and back street abortion pills

27 January 2019
Sherlin Barends

Cape Town - Sixteen. That’s how old I was the first time I bought a pregnancy test.

“It’s not for me, it’s for a life orientation project,” I nervously explained to the middle-aged woman on the other side of the counter.

Her raised eyebrows and pursed lips were a clear indication she didn’t believe me. She was right not to. There was no assignment that required me, a Grade 10 pupil at the time, to purchase a home pregnancy test.

Continued: https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/stigma-shame-and-back-street-abortion-pills-18990311


N. Ireland – Police escorted girl (12) to England for abortion after assault, MPs told

Police escorted girl (12) to England for abortion after assault, MPs told

By Michael McHugh
January 26 2019

A 12-year-old victim of sexual assault in Northern Ireland had to travel to England under police escort for an abortion, MPs have been told.

An officer seized samples from the procedure as evidence, said Dawn Purvis, former director of the Marie Stopes pregnancy advice service in Belfast.

The child could not be treated in Northern Ireland due to strict laws prohibiting the procedure in most circumstances.

Continued: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/police-escorted-girl-12-to-england-for-abortion-after-assault-mps-told-37750064.html