USA – Democrats need to win women in 2020. The debate showed the candidates know that.

Democrats need to win women in 2020. The debate showed the candidates know that.
Abortion, maternal mortality, and other issues that disproportionately affect women were front and center at the debate.

By Anna North Jun 27, 2019

“Democrats have been talking about the pay gap for decades,” moderator Savannah Guthrie asked at the first Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday. “What would do you to ensure that women are paid fairly in this country?”

The question, and its answers, set a tone. Issues affecting women — as well as people of all genders who become pregnant — were front and center at the debate.

Continued: https://www.vox.com/2019/6/27/18760657/democratic-debate-june-2019-2020-gender-abortion


Abortion clinic ads in Australia blocked in error, Google says

Abortion clinic ads in Australia blocked in error, Google says
Abortion providers in Australia noticed a sharp drop in traffic from Google ads in the last week

Josh Taylor
Thu 27 Jun 2019

Google says it has corrected a mistake that blocked ads for abortion providers from appearing in search results in Australia.

Abortion clinics in Australia reported a significant drop in traffic in the last week, as first reported by the ABC, with clinics such as the Macquarie Street clinic in Sydney stating their bookings had dropped and the phones had stopped ringing due to their paid ads not appearing in Google search results.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jun/27/abortion-clinic-ads-blocked-in-australian-search-results-fixed-google-says


Global gag rule linked to abortion rise in African countries that accept US aid

Global gag rule linked to abortion rise in African countries that accept US aid
Study finds Trump-backed policy led to increase in pregnancies and reduction in use of modern contraceptives

Miranda Bryant in New York
Thu 27 Jun 2019

A US government policy that restricts funding to organisations that conduct or support abortions has been linked to a 40% increase in terminations in African countries that depend on American foreign aid, according to new research.

The study, published on Thursday in The Lancet Global Health, also found that implementation of the policy resulted in a reduction of the use of modern contraceptives and an increase in pregnancies.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jun/27/global-gag-rule-africa-abortion-study


USA – Study: U.S. Ban On Aid To Foreign Clinics That ‘Promote’ Abortion Upped Abortion Rate

Study: U.S. Ban On Aid To Foreign Clinics That 'Promote' Abortion Upped Abortion Rate

June 27, 2019
Nurith Aizenman

When it comes to sending U.S. aid to poor countries, every Republican president from Ronald Reagan through Donald Trump has imposed a rule: Foreign aid groups are prohibited from getting U.S. assistance for family planning unless they promise not to "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning." That includes providing patients with referrals or information about the procedure, even if those activities are funded by non-U.S. government sources. (Trump's version of the funding ban has gone even further — applying to aid for virtually all global health services, not just family planning.)

Continued: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/06/27/736574110/study-u-s-ban-on-aid-to-foreign-clinics-that-promote-abortion-upped-abortion-rat


U.S. states unsure how to halt online sales of abortion pills amid clinic crackdown

FEATURE - U.S. states unsure how to halt online sales of abortion pills amid clinic crackdown

Gabriella Borter, Reuters
June 27, 2019

NEW YORK — American women faced with new restrictions on abortions passed by a dozen U.S. states this year are turning to abortion pills from foreign online suppliers, and the states say there is little they can do to stop it.

In the year before many of these new restrictions passed Republican-controlled state legislatures, over 20,000 U.S. women sought the pills online from providers willing to defy U.S. federal rules over sale of the drugs that induce miscarriage.

Continued: https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health-pmn/feature-u-s-states-unsure-how-to-halt-online-sales-of-abortion-pills-amid-clinic-crackdown


USA – When An Abortion Doctor Becomes a Mother

When An Abortion Doctor Becomes a Mother
There is a connection between my work as a doctor and my work as a mother; it’s just not what most people imagine.

By Christine Henneberg
June 27, 2019

Recently a colleague asked me if I’d had trouble working while I was pregnant. “Actually I was fine,” I said. “I know a lot of people have a hard time, but it wasn’t an issue for me.” She raised her eyebrows. “Wow. Good for you. I was a mess.”

We weren’t just talking about nausea and swollen feet and low back pain. She and I are abortion doctors. We routinely perform procedures well into our patients’ second trimester, when the fetus is well-formed and easily recognizable as humanlike, even “life”-like. Baby-like.

Continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/opinion/abortion-doctor.html


Canada – ‘Entire system’ needs to change: Indigenous women encounter unique issues regarding reproductive rights

‘Entire system’ needs to change: Indigenous women encounter unique issues regarding reproductive rights

Jun 26, 2019
Kayla Butler

CALGARY – Access to appropriate healthcare, specifically surrounding a woman’s reproductive choices, varies drastically between communities.

Indigenous women in Canada have faced unique problems throughout history when it comes to reproductive healthcare.

“When we go into a doctor’s office, we are not often asked the usual [pregnancy] questions, like, ‘What are you planning?’ It’s often questions like, ‘How are you raising your child? Are you working? Do you have an education? Where are you living? Are you a drug addict?'”

Continued: https://winnipeg.citynews.ca/2019/06/26/indigenous-women-reproductive-rights/amp/


Alabama woman loses unborn child after being shot, gets arrested; shooter goes fre

Alabama woman loses unborn child after being shot, gets arrested; shooter goes free

Posted Jun 26, 2019
By Carol Robinson

A woman whose unborn baby was killed in a 2018 Pleasant Grove shooting has now been indicted in the death.

Marshae Jones, a 27-year-old Birmingham woman, was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury on a manslaughter charge. She was taken into custody on Wednesday.

Continued: https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/06/woman-indicted-in-shooting-death-of-her-unborn-child-charges-against-shooter-dismissed.html


She helped her 15 year old get an abortion. Now she’s facing charges in Northern Ireland

She helped her 15 year old get an abortion. Now she's facing charges in Northern Ireland

By Haley Ott
June 26, 2019

London -- A woman is facing criminal charges in Northern Ireland for getting her 15-year-old daughter abortion pills to end an unwanted pregnancy in 2013. The woman's lawyer says the police were alerted after the daughter, who was in an abusive relationship, told a therapist she had taken the pills. The woman's legal team is challenging the prosecution.

Abortion is against the law in Northern Ireland except when a pregnant woman's health is at risk of permanent harm. There are no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Women who have illegal abortions can face up to life in prison if caught, and medical professionals are required to report anyone who has had one to the authorities.

Continued: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/abortion-northern-ireland-mother-of-15-year-old-facing-criminal-charges/


African Women’s Rights Groups Dismayed By US Abortion Move

African Women's Rights Groups Dismayed By US Abortion Move

2019-06-26
Stella Mapenzauswa

JOHANNESBURG – The United States' relationship with Africa has always been somewhat strained, as unequal match ups often are, and president Donald Trump's abrasive rhetoric towards the region has not helped.

Ironically, however, his administration's crackdown on abortion will likely resonate with most of the continent's political leaders, even as it alienates rights groups which have historically held Washington up as a champion of personal freedoms they accuse African leaders of stifling.

Continued: https://www.namibian.com.na/80077/read/African-Womens-Rights-Groups-Dismayed-By-US-Abortion-Move