Determined more than ever to end abortion stigma, inroads enters a new era of independence

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
Ipas.org

Imagine a world without the stigma surrounding abortion. Abortion would be recognized as health care. People would not be deprived of their right to make their own reproductive decisions. Abortion providers would not be isolated or face physical threats on their lives.

A world free of abortion stigma is the vision driving the work of the International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma (inroads), a network and global community of practice that grew out of a 2013 meeting on abortion stigma co-convened by Ipas and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH). Inroads was launched following that meeting, with Ipas serving as its host and providing operational support. Today inroads is a network of scholars, advocates, health providers and donors representing 1,500 members and 105 countries.

Continued: https://www.ipas.org/news/determined-more-than-ever-to-end-abortion-stigma-inroads-enters-a-new-era-of-independence/


USA – Medication Abortion and Telemedicine: Innovations and Barriers During the COVID-19 Emergency

Medication Abortion and Telemedicine: Innovations and Barriers During the COVID-19 Emergency

Amrutha Ramaswamy, Gabriela Weigel, Laurie Sobel
Jun 08, 2020

State actions in response to the COVID-19 crisis have highlighted their divergent approaches to abortion access. Some states classified abortion as a non-essential service, effectively banning services, while others have clarified that abortion is an essential service. In a handful of states, some clinics have begun to offer medication abortions using telemedicine. This approach maintains access to abortion while social distancing, preserving personal protective equipment (PPE), and limiting in-person health care visits and risk of exposure.

In 2017, 39% of all abortions in the U.S. were medication abortions (also known as abortions induced by pills). These abortions are provided using two medications, mifepristone and misoprostol. While public knowledge about medication abortion is very low, even fewer people may be aware that telemedicine can aid in the provision of this service. Research shows that providing medication abortion by telemedicine is clinically feasible and safe, but COVID-19 has highlighted the impact of new and existing federal and state restrictions on providing abortions using this approach.

Continued: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-policy-watch/medication-abortion-telemedicine-innovations-and-barriers-during-the-covid-19-emergency/


USA – They’re Doctors. They’re Also Incredibly Effective—and Dangerous—Anti-Abortion Activists.

They’re Doctors. They’re Also Incredibly Effective—and Dangerous—Anti-Abortion Activists.
Your OB-GYN could be one of them.

Marisa Endicott
June 4, 2020

In April 2019, when meetings like this still took place, Diane Foley took the stage in Indianapolis, looking out into the faces of anti-choice advocates and doctors who were gathered for their annual conference. The Health and Human Services official began her presentation: “Opportunities for Collaborative Engagement in Policy Development.” The bland, policy-wonkish title belied its almost-revolutionary substance: nothing less than a major shift in American health care—and a threat to the more than 4 million primarily low-income people who rely on a key government program for family planning and other care.

Title X, which Foley oversees as the head of the Office of Population Affairs—and which also includes the government’s teen pregnancy program—offers health care providers more than $286 million in funding each year. Just a month before her presentation, a new rule passed that would, for the first time, prohibit Title X recipients from performing abortions on-site or even providing abortion referrals. This effectively shut out a quarter of all clinics that were getting funding—including Planned Parenthood, which has traditionally received some $60 million a year from the program and provides more than 2.4 million patients with a slew of services, from birth control to cancer screenings to wellness exams.

Continued: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/06/american-association-pro-life-obstetricians-gynecologists-aaplog-anti-abortion-doctors-june-medical-supreme-court-decision/


Ob-Gyn teaching hospitals often restrict abortion beyond state law

Ob-Gyn teaching hospitals often restrict abortion beyond state law

May 31, 2020
Bixby Centre for Global Reproductive Health

Many women, especially those with complex medical needs, often rely on hospital-based abortions. Obstetrics and gynecology residency programs are required to provide access to abortion training but graduates frequently report that hospital policies interfere with their training. These facility-level abortion restrictions can affect both patient care and clinician instruction in teaching hospital settings.

ANSIRH researchers conducted a national survey of 169 OB-GYN teaching hospitals and found that the majority (57%) of residency training program directors reported that their facility had some sort of written or unwritten policy that restricted abortion provision beyond what their state law allowed.

Continued: https://bixbycenter.ucsf.edu/news/ob-gyn-teaching-hospitals-often-restrict-abortion-beyond-state-law


Telemedicine Abortion: What It Is and Why We Need It Now More Than Ever

Telemedicine Abortion: What It Is and Why We Need It Now More Than Ever

3/26/2020
by Carrie N. Baker

Antiabortion politicians in states across the country are using the COVID-19 pandemic to block access to abortion—arguing abortion is not essential health care and supporting limitations in the interest of conserving personal protective equipment for COVID-19 cases.

Medical experts, however, are coming to the exact opposite conclusion.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and seven other medical organizations issued a statement last week declaring that abortion is time-sensitive, essential health care and that lack of access may “profoundly impact a person’s life, health and well-being.”

Continued: https://msmagazine.com/2020/03/26/telemedicine-abortion-what-it-is-and-why-we-need-it-now-more-than-ever/


The FDA Could Improve Abortion Access Under Coronavirus But It Won’t

The FDA Could Improve Abortion Access Under Coronavirus But It Won't
Abortion pills have to be picked up in person at a clinic. Advocates say that has to change during the pandemic.

by Christine Grimaldi
Mar 19 2020

When Donald Trump used “two very big words” to declare a national emergency over the novel coronavirus on Friday, he bragged about giving his top health official the “ability to waive laws to enable telehealth” during the pandemic. But it appears that the president’s latitude will not apply to medication abortion care, a federal agency confirmed to VICE.

People who want to end their pregnancies will have to navigate the same restrictions as always, which will become all the more complicated in a pandemic environment.

Continued: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/epg85a/fda-refuses-to-improve-abortion-pill-access-under-coronavirus


USA – The Harassment We Face as Abortion Storytellers

The Harassment We Face as Abortion Storytellers
In a recent study, 60 percent of abortion storytellers reported experiencing harassment and other negative incidents after sharing their stories.

Mar 5, 2020
Jordyn Close & Paige Alexandria

I had an abortion five years ago when I was 18. Ever since I began sharing my story publicly, I’ve received online harassment and death threats—and I know I’m not the only one who has experienced this.

My name is Jordyn Close, and I’m an abortion storyteller.

Continued: https://rewire.news/article/2020/03/05/the-harassment-we-face-as-abortion-storytellers/


USA – What “crisis pregnancy centers” really do

What “crisis pregnancy centers” really do
Low-income people are going to the centers for basic services. They don’t always get what they need.

By Anna North
Mar 2, 2020

When Aya got a positive pregnancy test, she wanted to confirm the results at a clinic.

But the first six places she called either required her to pay out of pocket, or had no appointments for a week. So Aya went to a pregnancy resource center.

Continued: https://www.vox.com/2020/3/2/21146011/crisis-pregnancy-center-resource-abortion-title-x


USA – 2019 Was a Terrible Year for Abortion Rights. TV Did Better – Kind Of

2019 Was a Terrible Year for Abortion Rights. TV Did Better – Kind Of
Hollywood has a long way to go in terms of depicting women of color and mothers getting abortions

By EJ Dickson
Dec 20, 2019

2019 was a mixed bag when it comes to reproductive rights. While the year saw draconian abortion legislation introduced in states like Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio, the nationwide backlash arguably lent greater momentum to the abortion rights movement, catapulting it to the center of cultural conversation.

As a result, the once-taboo topic of abortion has become increasingly commonplace in popular culture, per an annual Abortion Onscreen Report released by ANSIRH (Advancing New Standards In Reproductive Health). Released yesterday, the report found a record number of TV shows in 2019 featured a discussion of or plot-line centering on abortion, thanks to shows like The Bold Type, Shrill, Orange Is the New Black, and Happy.

Continued: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/abortion-rights-heartbeat-bill-georgia-2019-929386/


California Just Became the First State to Require Public Colleges to Provide Abortions

California Just Became the First State to Require Public Colleges to Provide Abortions
Medication abortion must be available on campus starting in January 2023.

by Marie Solis
Oct 11 2019

California became the first state in the country to require its public universities to provide medication abortion on campus after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the “College Student Right to Access Act,” or Senate Bill 24, into law on Friday. The University of California and California State University systems don’t currently offer abortion on campus.

The 34 universities have until January 2023 to comply with the new legislation, time that will be used to assess each campus health center’s ability to provide medication abortion, a first-trimester procedure that involves administering two pills to induce what is effectively a miscarriage.

Continued: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a35y7e/gavin-newsom-california-public-universities-will-offer-abortion-pills-on-campus-in-2023?utm_campaign=sharebutton