Philippines – Lives in danger: Extrajudicial killings and the denial of abortion

[OPINION] Lives in danger: Extrajudicial killings and the denial of abortion
Permitting access to safe and legal abortion saves lives; extrajudicial killings take them away

Jihan Jacob
July 29, 2019

While President Duterte left out the status of women’s reproductive health and rights in the country from his 4th State of the Nation Address, the recent UN Human Rights Council resolution and false claims against those who advanced it demonstrate that the government still has a long way to go in respecting, protecting, and promoting the reproductive rights and human rights of all Filipinos. (READ: Quick point-by-point summary of Duterte's SONA 2019)

For the past 3 years, a slate of extrajudicial killings has been committed as part of the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign. Thousands have gone missing or have been killed, prompting the United Nations Human Rights Council to adopt a resolution condemning these acts. It urged the country to prevent more killings, conduct investigations, and ensure accountability.

Government officials who are sympathetic to the campaign have attempted to undermine those who passed the resolution, on the false pretext that such countries lack the moral legitimacy to condemn the Philippines because they permit legal abortion.

Continued: https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/236392-extrajudicial-killings-legal-abortion

NSW Could Decriminalise Abortion In The Next Few Weeks. Here’s What You Need To Know.

NSW Could Decriminalise Abortion In The Next Few Weeks. Here’s What You Need To Know.

by Sam Langford
29 July 2019

This week, a bill to decriminalise abortion will be introduced to NSW Parliament. We’ve been here before, but this time it looks likely that the legislation will actually pass. It’s about time.

The Reproductive Health Reform Bill 2019, introduced by Independent MP Alex Greenwich, aims to treat abortion as a health issue rather than a crime. The bill has support from a number of key MPs from both major parties, and was drafted by a cross-party group including Labor’s Penny Sharpe and Jo Haylen, the Nationals’ Trevor Khan, and Minister for Health Brad Hazzard.

Continued: https://junkee.com/nsw-abortion-decriminalise/215953

Former Member Of ‘Jane’ Abortion Service Remembers Time Before Roe v. Wade

Former Member Of 'Jane' Abortion Service Remembers Time Before Roe v. Wade

July 29, 2019
Robin Young

A number of states have passed laws this year restricting access to abortion, raising concerns among activists that the debate could reach the Supreme Court and possibly lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

This was the 1973 decision that legalized abortion across the country. Laura Kaplan remembers a time before abortion was legal. She was a member of the Chicago group, Jane, also know as The Abortion Counseling Service of Women’s Liberation, which provided abortions to women illegally.

Continued: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/07/29/abortions-before-roe-v-wade

29.07.2019

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NSW set to decriminalise abortion as health minister says it’s ‘time for change’

NSW set to decriminalise abortion as health minister says it's 'time for change'
Independent MP Alex Greenwich to introduce bill developed by cross-party working group

Australian Associated Press
Sun 28 Jul 2019

The New South Wales health minister has declared it’s “time for change” when it comes to abortion law, ahead of the introduction of a new bill which would see pregnancy terminations regulated as a medical procedure around the state. Currently abortions in NSW are dealt with under the Crimes Act 1900.

The Reproductive Healthcare Reform Bill 2019, a private member’s bill, will be introduced to parliament this week by the independent MP for Sydney, Alex Greenwich.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/28/nsw-set-to-decriminalise-abortion-as-health-minister-says-its-time-for-change

USA – What You Need To Know About The Controversial Abortion Method Featured In OITNB

What You Need To Know About The Controversial Abortion Method Featured In OITNB

Cory Stieg
July 27, 2019

The seventh and final season of Orange Is The New Black is live on Netflix, and considering many people will be binge-watching it this weekend, we need to talk about the abortion plot in episode 11. (Spoilers ahead.)

In that episode towards the end of the season, Chaj, a Guatemalan woman in Litchfield's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding pen, is desperately trying to communicate, but no one understands Ki'che, the indigenous language she speaks. She eventually ends up in the medical unit sobbing, with severe abdominal pain and period spotting, where she's finally granted a translator. It's revealed then that she was raped, so she drank an herbal tea made with parsley in an attempt to have an abortion.

Continued: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/07/238817/parsley-tea-period-miscarriage-abortion

The last taboo: Malta is the last EU country to have a full ban on abortion

The last taboo: Malta is the last EU country to have a full ban on abortion
Pro-choice activists will struggle to overturn it

Jul 27th 2019

POPE PIUS XI, who died in 1939, described Malta as “Malta Cattolicissima”. Today, that is not quite as true as it once was. The first schism with Catholic doctrine came in 2011, when divorce was legalised after a bitterly fought referendum. For the past four years, Malta has retained its top spot in ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Index, a ranking of policy towards LGBT people in 49 European countries. Same-sex couples now have equal marriage and adoption rights.

Yet Malta remains the only European Union member state which bans abortion in all circumstances. Under a law dating to 1724, women who procure an abortion in Malta risk being imprisoned for up to three years. The second-most-stringent EU country, Poland, allows abortion in very limited circumstances (as does Northern Ireland, which is even stricter, though a law passed in Westminster earlier this month could change that).

Continued: https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/07/27/malta-is-the-last-eu-country-to-have-a-full-ban-on-abortion

Nigeria – Why adolescents form major abortion victims

Why adolescents form major abortion victims

July 25, 2019
By APPOLONIA ADEYEMI

News of Aduke, 16 years was shocking and unbelievable. Based on profuse bleeding, from Aduke who collapsed suddenly on that fateful day, concerned persons that were sympathetic to her plight rushed her on emergency to the nearest health centre. After close examination, the care providers on duty, promptly referred Aduke who was a secondary school student to a general hospital. She had become unconscious.

Further medical tests on the patient however showed that there has been attempts to terminate a pregnancy. Doctors subsequently carried out some surgical procedures to perfect the abortion so as to save the life of Aduke. Sadly, she died on the operating theatre.

Continued: https://www.newtelegraphng.com/2019/07/why-adolescents-form-major-abortion-victims/

Canada – Federal Health Minister tells all provinces to fund abortion care

Federal Health Minister tells all provinces to fund abortion care

Carly Weeks Health Reporter
Laura Stone Queen's Park Reporter
Published July 25, 2019

Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor is asking all provinces to remove abortion access barriers, saying she is concerned about policies and fees that are “out of step” with federal law.

However, her provincial counterparts in Ontario and New Brunswick – where some patients must pay to access abortion services, in a practice that abortion advocates have flagged as breaching federal health law – have swiftly rebuffed Ms. Petitpas Taylor’s request.

Continued: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-federal-health-minister-asking-all-provinces-to-remove-abortion-access/

USA – Doctor claiming to ‘reverse’ abortion was told to stop using medical school’s name

Doctor claiming to 'reverse' abortion was told to stop using medical school's name
For years, Dr George Delgado falsely claimed an affiliation to a prestigious US medical school and his assertions about ‘reversal’ procedure have been denounced

Jessica Glenza in New York
Thu 25 Jul 2019

A doctor who has said he invented a procedure to “reverse” abortion has for years falsely claimed an affiliation to a prestigious US medical school, the Guardian can reveal.

A medication abortion or “self-managed” abortion, is an FDA-approved procedure and is administered through two doses of medicine over 48 hours. Medication abortions now represent nearly one-third of all abortions nationally, according to the Guttmacher Institute. There is no reversal procedure.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/25/revealed-doctor-reverse-abortion-trump-administration

Opinion: India’s government must prioritize women’s needs — including SRHR

Opinion: India's government must prioritize women's needs — including SRHR

By Vinoj Manning
24 July 2019

The 2019 general elections in India saw a record turnout of women — equal to the percentage of male voters — and indicating that women expect the majority government of the day to prioritize and address their needs.

One of their primary expectations is improved access to women’s sexual reproductive health and rights services.

Continued: https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-india-s-government-must-prioritize-women-s-needs-including-srhr-95264