Australia – Medical abortions okayed even for second trimester

2 NOVEMBER 2023
By HELEN TOBLER

Australia’s first clinical guidelines outline how to confirm gestational age and abortion completion, as well pain relief and other management.

New clinical guidelines back medical abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, but women’s access may be curtailed by state laws and hospital support.

Continued: https://www.medicalrepublic.com.au/medical-abortions-okayed-for-first-and-second-trimester/101838


India’s top court gives equal abortion access to all women

India’s Supreme Court has ruled that all women, regardless of marital status, can obtain abortions up to 24 weeks into their pregnancies

By BHUMIKA SARASWATI, Associated Press
September 29, 2022

NEW DELHI -- India's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that all women, regardless of marital status, can obtain abortions up to 24 weeks into their pregnancies.

Previously, under India’s abortion law, married women could have abortions up to 24 weeks into their pregnancies, but single women were limited to 20 weeks. On Thursday, the court extended the 24-week period to all women.

Continued: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/indias-top-court-equal-abortion-access-women-90689941


Constitutional Court decriminalises abortion in Colombia

Landmark decision means women in Colombia can now terminate a pregnancy up to the 24th week.

By Emma Newbery, Bogota Post
February 28, 2022

A recent
decision from the constitutional court will decriminalise abortion in Colombia.
On February 21, the court voted that women could terminate their pregnancies
until the 24th week in what Human Rights Watch described as a “milestone for
the reproductive rights of women.”

What just happened?
The constitutional court voted five to four to decriminalise abortion in Colombia
up to the 24th week of pregnancy. It makes Colombia one of the most progressive
countries in the world in terms of its abortion legislation, but a lot depends
on how the court’s ruling gets implemented.

Continued: https://thebogotapost.com/constitutional-court-decriminalises-abortion-in-colombia/49587/


How we finally won the legal case for abortion in Colombia

I’m one of the lawyers who took the lawsuit to Colombia’s constitutional court – and decriminalised abortion

Valeria Pedraza
28 February 2022

Having waited more than 520 days for the decision of Colombia’s constitutional court, on 21 February we finally received the news we were hoping for. The court ruled that abortion, if performed within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, is no longer a criminal offence.

The court’s ruling was in response to a case brought by Causa Justa (‘righteous cause’), an umbrella movement for more than 100 groups and thousands of activists across Colombia – including Women’s Link Worldwide, where I work as a lawyer. To get this far required so much creativity, courage and collaborative effort, and none of it would have been possible without the wide mix of people in the movement.

Continued:  https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/how-we-finally-won-the-legal-case-for-abortion-in-colombia/


Rethinking Abortion In India: A Human Rights Conversation

Niharika Kaul
16 May 2021

The issue of abortion has gained particular momentum in the past few months with two interesting developments in very different parts of the world- the passage of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) (Amendment) Bill 2020 in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) in India and the recent passage of the Argentinian abortion bill, that legalises abortions up to the 14th week of pregnancy. While the MTP (Amendment) Bill 2020 extends the existing time period within which abortion can be conducted in India to 24 weeks in some cases, the Argentinian bill replaces the prior abortion law based on the 'exception model', where three exceptions were allowed to an otherwise blanket criminal prohibition- when a pregnancy endangers the life or health of a woman, girl, or pregnant person, or when it results from rape. After the Argentinian Senate narrowly rejected a bill to decriminalize abortion in 2018, the lower house of Congress finally passed the bill this January.

Continued: https://www.livelaw.in/columns/medical-termination-of-pregnancy-mtp-amendment-bill-2020-world-health-organisation-who-174212


Abortion and the right to choice: Is MTP (Amendment) Act 2021 a breakthrough for India?

Gayatri Vinayak
Mon., April 5, 2021

Rajya Sabha recently passed a bill to allow abortions of up to 24 weeks for special categories of women, up from the existing 20 weeks gestation period.

Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2021, which amends the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, special categories of women, including victims of incest, rape victims, minors and differently-abled women, will be allowed to undergo abortion till 24 weeks.

Continued: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/abortion-and-the-right-to-choice-is-mtp-amendment-act-2021-a-breakthrough-for-india-112220154.html


India – Rajya Sabha Passed Amendments To MTP Act: Is It Progressive? What Are Its Limitations?

BHAVANI GIDDU
March 19, 2021

Amendments to MTP Act: This week the Rajya Sabha passed a much-needed amendment to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act of 1971.  This new Bill ensures that women are provided access to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, and humanitarian grounds by allowing MTPs for up to 20 – 24 weeks for special categories of women.

While the categories are not specified and are left to the states to decide, they are expected to include survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women like the differently abled and minors.  Some other features of this progressive Bill are:

Continued: https://www.shethepeople.tv/top-stories/opinion/rs-amendments-to-mtp-act/


India – How changes to pregnancy termination bill give women better options for abortion

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, passed by Rajya Sabha, allows abortion between 20 to 24 weeks for 'certain categories of women' with the assent of two doctors.

ANGANA CHAKRABARTI
18 March, 2021

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha Tuesday passed a bill that allows abortion for up to 24 weeks “for special categories of women”, from the existing gestation period of 20 weeks.

The bill amends the current Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, which states that abortion within 12 weeks requires the opinion of one doctor and between 12 to 20 weeks will require the opinion of two doctors.

Continued: https://theprint.in/theprint-essential/how-changes-to-pregnancy-termination-bill-give-women-better-options-for-abortion/623626/


India – Parliament passes bill to increase upper limit for abortions: Why access to safe abortion is essential?

At present, women seeking abortion require mandatory opinion of one doctor if it is done within 12 weeks of conception and two doctors if it is done between 12 and 20 weeks.

By: Longjam Dineshwori  
Updated: March 17, 2021

The Parliament has finally passed The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which increases the upper limit for abortions from 20 to 24 weeks for certain categories of women, and removes limits in the case of substantial foetal abnormalities. The bill was passed on Tuesday with the Rajya Sabha approving the chances, despite majority of the opposition members demanding that the bill should be sent to select committee as it lacks privacy clause. However, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan informed the Parliament that nobody opposed the bill and once enacted, it will reduce the trauma and suffering of women. Mention may be made that the Lok Sabha had passed the bill in March last year.

Continued: https://www.thehealthsite.com/pregnancy/parliament-passes-bill-to-increase-upper-limit-for-abortions-heres-why-women-need-access-to-safe-abortion-802006/


Rajya Sabha nod to Bill on abortion till 24 weeks in special cases

Law after minor UT girl delivered baby in 2017

Mar 17, 2021
Tribune News

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill to raise the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 for minors and victims of rape and incest.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, was passed by voice vote after rejecting a resolution moved by Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa to refer the Bill to a Parliament committee. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill in March last year.

Continued: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/rs-nod-to-bill-on-abortion-till-24-wks-in-special-cases-226332