Abortion Counselling services to be launched in Malta

July 10, 2021
Women on Web

On June 23th, the European Parliament voted in favour of the Matic Report, and in doing so passed a resolution which calls on EU countries to ensure women are offered high quality, comprehensive and accessible sexual and reproductive health and rights, and to remove all barriers impeding them from using these services. Malta consistently falls short of these standards, with national policies needing urgent review and updating to comply to this resolution.

On Sunday July 11th at 9am, members of Doctors for Choice Malta will announce means of accessing the services supported by the Matic Report, and demonstrate counselling as an example of good clinical practice

Continued:
https://www.womenonweb.org/en/page/21060/press-release-abortion-counselling-services-to-be-launched-in-malta


South Africa – Young women face agonising barriers to accessing abortion in rural areas

Among significant barriers to accessing abortion services, experts cite a lack of management support at health facilities, costs, fear of breach of confidentiality and stigma. Many of these barriers are compounded in rural areas.

By Tiyese Jeranji for Spotlight
14 February 2021

Onke Jezile, founder of Lethabo la Azania, a non-profit organisation that works with children and the youth in Engcobo in Eastern Cape, says pregnant women in rural areas seeking abortion services face an uphill battle.

“For us in the rural areas, we have to fight 20 or 30 times more to get services compared with our urban counterparts,” explains Jezile.

Continued: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-02-14-young-women-face-agonising-barriers-to-accessing-abortion-in-rural-areas/


Abortion: Wales ‘needs better counselling services’

Abortion: Wales 'needs better counselling
services'

By Alys Davies, BBC News
Oct 12, 2020

A woman who was left alone with no support after having an abortion said the
experience was "traumatic".

Nikita Jain Jones, 31, was told there was a four-month wait for pre-abortion
counselling via her GP as she could not get a face-to-face appointment via the
British Pregnancy Advisory Service.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54423710


Ireland introduces legal abortion services

Ireland introduces legal abortion services

As of Tuesday it is again legal for women in Ireland to seek to terminate their pregnancies following last year's referendum.

Tuesday 01 January 2019

Ireland has introduced its first abortion services today following a 2018 referendum decision to liberalise the country's ban on terminating pregnancies.

Laws were quickly passed following the referendum to ensure that as of midnight on Tuesday, the country's national health service was able to offer terminations free of charge.

Continued: https://news.sky.com/story/ireland-introduces-legal-abortion-services-11595963


IReland – Abortion services: New counselling hotline goes live

Abortion services: New counselling hotline goes live
My Options will provide the names of GPs and hospitals offering abortion services

Mon, Dec 31, 2018
Ronan McGreevy

Abortion services have been introduced in the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday following a landslide vote in favour of liberalising the country’s laws.

As of midnight terminations have become available free of charge, GPs and family planning services as well as hospitals across the country.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/abortion-services-new-counselling-hotline-goes-live-1.3745084


New Zealand – Abortion group says legislation is ‘altering too quick’

Abortion group says legislation is ‘altering too quick’

By Marta Subat
on November 4, 2018

A group of women who have had abortions have spoken out to caution the prime minister on law reform.

It follows a report back by the Law Commission that recommended ways to decriminalise abortion.

Continued: http://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/xhtml/en_GB/news/abortion-group-says-legislation-is-altering-too-quick/


Queensland women considered or tried to perform abortions on themselves, data shows

Queensland women considered or tried to perform abortions on themselves, data shows
Children by Choice says 119 women considered or took radical step in past five years

Ben Smee
Sun 9 Sep 2018

More than 100 women in Queensland considered or attempted to conduct abortions on themselves in the past five years, according to data from a pro-choice counselling service that will be reviewed by a state parliamentary committee inquiry on Monday.

Queensland has proposed new laws to decriminalise abortion but it remains an offence for both doctors and women, under laws passed in 1899 and largely unchanged since.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/10/queensland-women-considered-or-tried-to-perform-abortions-on-themselves-data-shows


UK: What happens inside an abortion clinic

Ireland referendum: What happens inside an abortion clinic

By Hannah Moore Newsbeat reporter
22 May 2018

Amy Harris meets hundreds of women a year who are considering ending their pregnancies. The 27-year-old midwife works at a clinic in London run by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which provides mainly NHS-funded abortions.

As the Republic of Ireland prepares to vote on legalising abortion, Amy tells us what the procedure involves - and busts some myths.

Continued: http://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-43956095


Australia – Let Me Count The Ways I Tried To Talk To George Christensen About Abortion

Let Me Count The Ways I Tried To Talk To George Christensen About Abortion
Look, I tried.

Posted on April 26, 2018
Gina Rushton, BuzzFeed News Reporter, Australia

Nationals MP George Christensen last month attended an anti-abortion rally, wrote to the treasurer, and made social media posts calling for millions of dollars in Australia's foreign aid budget to be allocated to pregnancy counselling for Australian women.

Christensen wrote to treasurer Scott Morrison to ask that $9.5 million allocated to an international family planning organisation be redirected to pregnancy counselling services for young Australian mothers.

Continued: https://www.buzzfeed.com/ginarushton/i-tried-talking-to-george-christensen-about-abortion-via?utm_term=.swWdQLV89#.ua7g037Ya


Some women feel grief after an abortion, but there’s no evidence of serious mental health issues

Some women feel grief after an abortion, but there’s no evidence of serious mental health issues

Kirsten Black
April 25, 2018

This week, the website Mamamia published, and then quickly removed, an article about the existence of “post-abortion syndrome” – a disorder apparently experienced by many women who have had an abortion. The article claimed this disorder has been concealed from the public and that the trauma of an induced abortion can be comparable to the experience of child sexual abuse or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffered by war veterans.

Neither the term “post-abortion syndrome”, nor the claims about its characteristics, are supported by any national or international psychological societies. Of course, many women experience emotional responses to an abortion, which are normal reactions to a significant event. The range of normal psychological and emotional responses can include feelings of grief, regret, sadness and relief. These reactions are generally transient.

Continued: https://theconversation.com/some-women-feel-grief-after-an-abortion-but-theres-no-evidence-of-serious-mental-health-issues-95519