USA – Coronavirus pandemic is fueling efforts to increase access to abortion pills

Coronavirus pandemic is fueling efforts to increase access to abortion pills

Marie McCullough - The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)
May 29, 2020

The pandemic is helping U.S. abortion-rights advocates achieve a long-standing goal: Make it easier for women to use pills to end pregnancies up to 10 weeks.

Federal and state regulations have restricted access to “medication abortion” ever since the Food and Drug Administration approved it two decades ago. Nonetheless, use of the two-drug regimen has grown steadily, accounting for at least 40% of all abortions, even as the national abortion rate has fallen to historic lows, data show.

Continued: https://www.readingeagle.com/living/health/coronavirus-pandemic-is-fueling-efforts-to-increase-access-to-abortion-pills/article_7e9ee4b3-0d65-5160-8d96-481d14e7ee63.html

Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner suggests funding cuts for abortion clinics

Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner suggests funding cuts for abortion clinics

May 29, 2020
Source: Deti.gov.ru

During her annual performance report, Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner, Anna Kuznetsova, proposed reducing funding for abortion clinics.

According to Kuznetsova, the amount of funding allocated to abortion clinics should be in inverse proportion to the number of abortions. “A clinic should be interested in saving the child, and not in providing services for the artificial termination of pregnancy,” she said.

Kuznetsova also suggested limiting the sale of medical abortion drugs at pharmacies.

The commissioner’s report has already been sent to the Kremlin.

Children’s Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova has consistently advocated for raising the birth rate in Russia and is known for her pro-life views. On May 28, she announced that she had given birth to her seventh child.

Source: https://meduza.io/en/news/2020/05/29/russian-children-s-rights-commissioner-suggests-funding-cuts-for-abortion-clinics

29.05.2020

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USA – More Patients Seek Abortion Pills Online During Pandemic, But Face Restrictions

More Patients Seek Abortion Pills Online During Pandemic, But Face Restrictions

May 28, 2020
Sarah McCammon

Even before the coronavirus crisis, there were lots of abortion restrictions in South Dakota. But now the procedure has become unavailable, officials say.

"I called to make the appointment and they said the Sioux Falls location was closed [for abortions] because of the coronavirus," said 34-year-old Heather. NPR agreed not to use her last name because she doesn't want people in her largely conservative community to know about her abortion.

Continued: https://www.npr.org/2020/05/28/863512837/more-patients-seek-abortion-pills-online-during-pandemic-but-face-restrictions

MPs bring bill to ban late abortions for cleft lip, cleft palate and clubfoot

MPs bring bill to ban late abortions for cleft lip, cleft palate and clubfoot
Cross-party group proposes ending UK abortions after 24 weeks for minor disabilities

Amelia Hill
Published on Thu 28 May 2020

A cross-party group of MPs are seeking to change Britain’s abortion laws to ban late terminations that are carried out on the grounds of minor physical abnormalities.

The abortion (cleft lip, cleft palate and clubfoot) bill, which is led by the Conservative MP Fiona Bruce and supported by 13 MPs, will be presented in parliament on 3 June.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/28/mps-bring-bill-to-ban-late-abortions-for-cleft-lip-cleft-palate-and-club-foot

28.05.2020

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Abortion ‘doulas’ in Chile risk prison, saying women need their help

Abortion 'doulas' in Chile risk prison, saying women need their help
“We are doing this because the law is insufficient."

May 28, 2020
By Liam Miller

SANTIAGO, Chile — The woman anxiously removes the SIM card from the cheap cellphone and cuts the chip into pieces before sweeping the fragments into the trash. When her nerves pass, she allows herself a small sigh of relief.

Despite using a "burner" phone like those associated with drug deals in TV crime series, this woman is using it for a different purpose. A college-educated professional, she's one of several women in a group of abortion "doulas," part of a clandestine network willing to break the law and face prison to help women obtain abortions, as long as it's medically safe to do so.

Continued: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/abortion-doulas-chile-risk-prison-saying-women-need-their-help-n1154506

Kenya – Menstruation, sex, and abortion do not stop for pandemics

Menstruation, sex, and abortion do not stop for pandemics
Comprehensive access and uptake of the above care and services will ensure we are not fighting another pandemic post-coronavirus.

by ALVIN MWANGI, Star Blogs
28 May 2020

With the rise in the number of coronavirus infections in the country, the health system risks being over-stretched to levels that the Ministry of Health might not contain.

Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi has said the government is concerned with reports that many Kenyans have stopped going to hospitals for fear of contracting Covid-19. Among the affected services is reproductive health.

Continued: https://www.the-star.co.ke/opinion/star-blogs/2020-05-28-menstruation-sex-and-abortion-do-not-stop-for-pandemics/

28.05.2020

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Argentina’s abortion campaign launches virtual events to revitalise movement

Argentina's abortion campaign launches virtual events to revitalise movement
Activists seemed on the brink of victory when they were stalled by the pandemic and a historic bill wasn’t formally introduced

Natalie Alcoba in Buenos Aires
Published on Thu 28 May 2020

Feminists in Argentina like to say: “la lucha está en la calle” — the battle is in the streets. But with the country under a strict coronavirus lockdown, the women’s movement can no longer flood the streets.

So on Thursday, activists have planned a series of virtual events to mark 15 years of their campaign to legalize abortion – and inject new momentum to campaign which was stalled by the pandemic, just as it seemed on the brink of victory.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/28/argentina-abortion-activism-coronavirus-government

El Salvador – These women say they had miscarriages. Now they’re in jail for abortion.

These women say they had miscarriages. Now they're in jail for abortion.

By Kate Smith, Gilad Thaler
May 28, 2020 / CBS News

Watch the CBS News Digital documentary "Jailed for Abortion in El Salvador" in the video player above. It premieres on CBSN tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Seven months pregnant, Manuela, a mother of two, said she miscarried at her modest home in rural El Salvador. But the police, and a judge, didn't believe her. They charged and convicted her for aggravated homicide, sentencing her to 30 years in prison.

But Manuela only served two of those years. In 2010, she died alone in a hospital of Hodgkin's lymphoma, a disease her lawyers say caused her to miscarry.

Continued: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/miscarriages-abortion-jail-el-salvador/

Thai pro-choice activists push for tele-medicine abortion pills during COVID-19 outbreak

Thai pro-choice activists push for tele-medicine abortion pills during COVID-19 outbreak

by Teirra Kamolvattanavith
May 28, 2020

Despite an increase in unplanned pregnancies in Thailand, safe access to legal abortion has diminished amidst the pandemic. The groups believe tele-medicine could be a solution especially for women in remote areas.

On Friday May 15, choose network Thailand, 55 other civil society organizations and 559 petitioners handed in a letter to the Department of Health, to demand for measures to ensure women can access safe abortions during the pandemic and in the future.

In a country where safe and legal abortions are available — most women with unplanned pregnancies resort to unsafe procedures due to many reasons including social stigma, lack of information and access to safe facilities.

Continued: https://thisrupt.co/videos/thai-pro-choice-activists-push-for-tele-medicine-abortion-pills-during-covid-19-outbreak/

28.05.2020

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Australia – Improving access to early medical abortion amid COVID-19

Improving access to early medical abortion amid COVID-19

May 28, 2020
Monash University

To mark today’s International Day of Action on Women’s Health (May 28), a newly formed coalition of key stakeholders and clinician experts is advocating rapid policy and practice-based changes to improve the accessibility of early medical abortion (EMA) in Australia during COVID-19 and beyond.

Early medical abortion (EMA), along with contraception, has been declared an essential service during the pandemic but it is not always easy to access. This is particularly the case for highly time-sensitive EMAs that must be undertaken before nine weeks’ gestation in Australia. As a result of the pandemic access may be further challenged by delays in accessing ultrasounds, an inability to travel (especially for women living in remote and regional areas) and cost-barriers including those caused by job losses due to COVID-19.

Continued: https://www.miragenews.com/improving-access-to-early-medical-abortion-amid-covid-19/

28.05.2020